Dear subscribers for Hope Has a Cold Nose,
When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul. A.D. Williams
We are all connected by simple wish, to be visible, to be heard, to know that we matter. – Vlada Mars
I anticipate that I have shared this perspective before. I believe we learn best through opposites, and it is our dance of grace in how we manage between the opposition. To know the depth of feeling joy, for example, we must first know a depth to unhappiness. We can best appreciate that pure joyful elation when we have known what it is to feel profoundly sad. Our dance between the two is one of choice. We can choose sadness. We can choose joy. We can be tested in our ability to choose joy when moments outside of our control take place. We can experience moments that seem to grip our hearts and our mind so tightly, we do not see any other choice but sadness. And, to honor sadness is as important as to desire joy. We need both, and in how we respond in each moment provides the grace in which we can flow with life.
These sentiments can be said about stillness and busy, fear and faith, uncertainty and confidence, anger and calmness, quiet and loud, or hope and hopeless. Perhaps other words come to mind for you in which you witness or personally feel the tug and pull between two.
Recently I was talking with someone on his way to a celebration for his daughter who had just completed first grade. As we talked of that joy, he also shared with me the sorrow his daughter had experienced when her school was closed due to the pandemic. He talked of the gift of technology that allowed his daughter to still learn from home, and the tears his daughter cried for an entire day because she could only see her friend on a computer screen. His daughter ached in from no longer seeing her friend in person. He talked of the concerns that he and his wife share of the long-term impact that moment in time will have on his daughter, a young soul developing into an extroverted spirit who experienced a life changing painful moment in which she was learning profound loss and the necessity of introversion. This individual and his wife will do well in teaching their daughter resilience and how to flourish through change. They will ensure their daughter harnesses joy. In that dance of opposites, this young soul will be blessed with parents to help give her the tools to dance gracefully through the moments that life brings in which the only thing we can control is how we respond.
Though I am confident this little girl will be ok, my heart goes out to her. It goes out to this little girl in the same way my heart goes out to each person when I hear how they have or are experiencing pain, sorrow, trauma, or despair. And, right now, I think that is each and every person on Earth.
The world is hurting. Pain sorrow, and grief that has been pushed down – in some instances for generations – are now rising to the surface trying to find the avenues in which they can be released and let go or to find meaning and purpose – to matter. Pain, sorrow, and grief are trying to find their voices to be heard, to make a change for the better, to choose and influence the opposite outcomes so that pain is not perpetuated. Pain, sorrow, despair, and grief are swirling fiercely with uncertainty. Pain, sorrow, despair, and grief are asking us to find compassion, understanding, respect, and healing so that we can bring balance back into life. Pain, sorrow, despair, and grief are crying out for us to anchor them to faith, trust, and hope.
A.D. Williams writes words of wisdom that I am choosing right now. When I look into the eyes…of a person I do not see a person… I see a living being. I see a friend. I feel a soul.
Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant? – Henry David Thoreau
Sincerely,
-Christine
I am excited to share with all of you that an editor has been hired for the manuscript for Hope Has a Cold Nose. Editing will begin in July, with a target completion for the manuscript to be ready for the design phase by the beginning of September. The design phase is when the book gets formatted for electronic, paperback, and hardcover availability, receives a book jacket/ cover design, and so forth. I am continuing to hold the intention for the book to be available in hardcover, paperback, and electronically late Fall.
I can be reached by visiting https://www.hopehasacoldnose.com/, https://christinehassing.com/ or you can email me at ckhred30@gmail.com