Finding Hope Now

When winter changes over to spring I become more wary of the state of my health. Six years ago I was thrown into the worst flare that almost cost me my life. I was stuck in the hospital as the flowers bloomed. I missed the daffodils completely. I’m not sure I actually would have noticed them had I been healthy. There was a lot I took for granted before Ulcerative Colitis. But now, I notice all the buds and their gorgeous colors as they pop. I love the grass turning green after a long rain, and I may actually squeal as the annuals I planted last year resurface.

This is the gift of chronic illness. You find the beauty. There’s a lot of dark days. But the light arrives, and it always arrives, and it brightens up all the places you may have failed to notice before. Kind of like when the sun shines into the kitchen and shows where you haven’t dusted all winter. When you come out of a flare, you see the marvels around you with a new lens. This is hope.

I hope this Easter Sunday renews you and shines light into those dark places you may be neglecting. Maybe it’s the colored pencils that got lost in the couch cushions after all the Netflix you’ve been watching. Or maybe it’s the yoga mat tucked in the corner that you just avoided because it would be uncomfortable. Perhaps you forgot about  the way the sun sets through your back window and places rainbows on your walls if you’re watching. Or maybe it’s that early morning silence right before the birds start chirping. That moment when you can take a few deep breaths to fill yourself up before you begin to pour out all your love to the rest of the world.

Hope is there, hiding in those forgotten moments. It’s waiting for you when you want to be renewed. Like Easter Sunday, Hope can always be found. I’d love to hear where you find your hope this week. Please leave me a note below or find me on socials and tell me there. Let’s encourage each other.