A while ago I shared with readers my excitement after watching Jane Goodall’s DVD Reason for Hope  A Spiritual Journey. For some odd reason I had to watch it again and again. This is not something I do when it comes to television or movies but I was really taken by her story and the message in this one hour program.

It got me thinking about my own life and just as she at one point had doubts and temporarily questioned her beliefs, so had I. In the midst of so many life challenges from childhood to adulthood it is easy to lose hope and there are so many distractions that take us off course. After reflecting on her message, I felt the need to explore the last time I felt spiritually connected and ask “Where do I find my hope?”

I’m not a religious person but I do consider myself spiritual. My spirituality is not tied to anything organized, the universe is my teacher and the answers come from within. Of course, the answers can only come if I clear the clutter and for the past few years I have taken less and less time to connect with myself. As a child I remember losing hope through the senseless taking of a person whose life was so precious to me. It is in that moment when anyone could lose their willingness to celebrate the journey.

There have been many times when hope temporarily fell but amazingly it always returned. Lately, I think I took it for granted, that it would easily spring forth like the flowers that now adorn my garden. However, that is not necessarily the case, sometimes I can be so preoccupied by the world and all the voices that surround me I forget hope. It is so noisy out here, we are all moving so fast and the news flies around, spinning us in circles.

I used to touch ground occasionally from this whirlwind by walking along the beach; I live right near two beaches and yet I can’t remember the last time I placed my feet in the sand. To stand there feeling so small, so alive, so incredibly lucky, so hopeful; that was the gift received just for taking the time out. That is the closest I get to bliss, to stand before the sea my spiritual place. Jane found her spiritual connection sitting deep in the forest of Gombe, I have found it standing at the oceans edge.

With everything I hear and read it is easy for me to lose hope. My concern for our planet and humanity grows so much so that I forget to breath and believe. After watching Jane build her life around reasons for hope, surrounding herself with symbols of hope and touching the lives of others so positively, I was awakened. I began to connect with things I had forgotten about myself and I now can rise to the challenge of re-introducing those things back into my life. I encourage anyone reading this to think about what grounds you and gather symbols of hope.

I find my hope in the ocean rushing toward me with such purpose. I find my hope in the eyes of people who have traveled to give me important life lessons. I find my hope in the face of a child who has no reason to doubt its existence. I find my hope in the old woman who said “Everyone is a child to me, I’m ninety-two years old.” I find my hope in the pictures that document my life, I find my hope in music that lifts my spirit, I find my hope in you.

Dedicated to the ones I love.

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