Season of Hope

My friend Mary Carol is a wise woman.  In one of her beautifully thought-out letters to me, she wrote about the popular Johnny Mercer song from the 1940s, Accentuate the Positive.  She reminded me to keep going, to accentuate the positive, to remain hopeful and optimistic.  Her words helped me to carry on, even when it was hard to do. It's not always easy to be hopeful or optimistic, especially when life dishes out painful, difficult moments.  It seems as if those times are magnified even more during the Christmas season when all is supposed to be merry.  I have several friends who are currently experiencing illness, caring for loved ones who are ill, suffering from the loss of a spouse or parent, or having unwelcome changes in their work lives. That's perhaps when this season is even more important, for Christmastime is the season of hope. As we approach the Winter Solstice, that longest night, I think of those I care about who are experiencing their very own personal longest nights and I pray that they will find something for which to be positive and that they will feel hope. 

So Bright I Need Shades

While watching the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Monty Python's Flying Circus star Eric Idle had the crowd singing along as he belted out, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."  And what a great song to make as my personal theme song!  Too often, I get caught up in the negative, the worrisome, the dark and the fearful.  But, then, I hear Eric Idle singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," and I can't help but see things from a sunnier point of view!  And isn't that what living with a grateful heart is all about -- looking for the good, seeing the good and embracing the good?  It doesn't mean that one should deny or look the other way when something bad happens.  I think it means that you should speak the truth, show anger appropriately and do something to make things better if need be.  But, all the while, if you look on the bright side of life, I believe you will help cultivate it for others.