Keep Hope Alive

"Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all.." ~ Emily Dickinson

There is a bittersweet quality that permeates the air in September. In the northern hemisphere, we say our reluctant goodbyes to summer. When September rolls around there is something in our early programming that kicks in. We gear up for all of the activities associated with fall. Kids return to school and we all begin to pick up the pace.

We never really do finish school while we are alive on this planet. We continue to learn life lessons and hopefully grow through all of our experiences. Much of our earlier training at home and school prepares us to face life as warriors or worriers. The good news is that we can learn to become more resilient if we are willing to do our "hope" work. That's right. That wasn't a typo. I meant "hope" work. Too many of us have been basing our lives for far too long on what is reasonable and evident rather than on faith and belief.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I refer to faith, I mean that which is unseen, unproven and is in the realm of the mysterious. Faith requires our active belief. There may be things you are experiencing in your life right now that seem impossible to overcome. Hope is that expectation that the drought in your business, your finances, your relationships, your health could all change in an instant. Don't be deceived by the evidence to the contrary. Hope is what will expand your thinking and challenge your beliefs about what is possible.

According to Greek Mythology, the gods gave Pandora a beautiful box with instructions to never open it. Pandora's curiosity was stronger than her will and she couldn't resist opening it. Once opened, all of the ills of the world came flying out of the box. No one has ever been able to contain them again. However, at the bottom of the box, almost overlooked, was Hope.

Who would have believed that 309 people could survive a burning plane crash last month in Toronto, Canada? Everyone called it a miracle. I also believe it was evidence that Hope is alive.

You can look at the devastation that took place along the Gulf Coast and only see suffering or, you can look again, and see that Hope is alive there, too.

Nancy D. Bishop is a Life Coach, writer and speaker. She coaches women in midlife transitions who want to live more authentically. She publishes a monthly newsletter. For more information on her coaching programs visit http://www.yourlifeyourway.com

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Google News Updated : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:08:02 GMT Alcoa beats the Street - CNNMoney.com HispanicBusiness.com Alcoa beats the Street CNNMoney.com - 49 minutes ago The aluminum producer and Dow component kicks off the latest round of earnings reports by saying that higher volume and prices offset rising commodity costs. UPDATE 3-Alcoa's profit lower but tops Street forecasts Reuters Alcoa's Second-Quarter Net Fell 24% Wall Street Journal MarketWatch - Bloomberg - Forbes - The Associated Press all 225 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:18:45 GMT Cipro joins the 'black box' club - Los Angeles Times KSFY Cipro joins the 'black box' club Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago The club may not be as elite as it once was -- or perhaps, in an ideal world, should be -- but the Food and Drug Administration has decided Cipro and its ilk deserve to be members. UPDATE 3-Antibiotics can harm tendons, US FDA warns Reuters FDA orders 'black box' label on some antibiotics CNN Wall Street Journal - The Associated Press - Atlanta Journal Constitution - KRDO all 552 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:12:01 GMT Fed may extend Wall Street lending - Reuters ABC News Fed may extend Wall Street lending Reuters - 2 hours ago By Patrick Rucker ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday the US central bank may keep an emergency lending facility for big Wall Street firms open longer than it initially intended, a signal the Fed is ... Bernanke says Fed may extend bank discount rate guardian.co.uk Bernanke Says Fed May Continue Lending Into Next Year (Update3) Bloomberg CNNMoney.com - Forbes - MarketWatch - Bizjournals.com all 1,278 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:34:02 GMT Church divided: Women bishops an obstacle to unity, Vatican warns - guardian.co.uk Telegraph.co.uk Church divided: Women bishops an obstacle to unity, Vatican warns guardian.co.uk - 2 hours ago The Vatican yesterday criticised the Church of England's decision to press ahead with the ordination of women bishops, saying it presented a "further obstacle" for reconciliation between Canterbury and Rome. Vatican 'regrets' female bishops CNN International Vatican angry over women bishops BBC News The Associated Press - Reuters - New York Times - AFP all 2,159 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:02:59 GMT Bush pushes US-India nuclear deal - The Associated Press Washington Post Bush pushes US-India nuclear deal The Associated Press - 47 minutes ago TOYAKO, Japan (AP) - President Bush defended a languishing deal his administration negotiated to sell India nuclear fuel and technology, saying he reassured India's prime minister that the pact was important for both countries despite heavy opposition ... India Singh to Seek Vote Before IAEA Approval on Nuclear Accord Bloomberg UPDATE 1-India says relations with US in good shape Reuters UK Washington Post - Voice of America - AFP - Reuters India all 986 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:20:36 GMT InBev seeks summary judgment in court - Reuters ABC News InBev seeks summary judgment in court Reuters - 33 minutes ago PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - InBev NV (INTB.BR: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) on Tuesday asked a court to make a summary judgment on its lawsuit over the possible removal of all 13 directors of Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc's (BUD. Anheuser-Busch sues InBev Bizjournals.com Busch sues InBev over takeover attempt guardian.co.uk New York Times - Wall Street Journal - MarketWatch - Bloomberg all 1,185 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:34:28 GMT War Powers Act needs fixing, bipartisan panel says - CNN William and Mary News War Powers Act needs fixing, bipartisan panel says CNN - 5 hours ago WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States needs a new law requiring that the president consult with Congress before going to war, a blue-ribbon panel led by two former secretaries of state said Tuesday. Video: Panel Calls for New War Powers Legislation AssociatedPress 'War Powers' Plan Faces Steep Odds Washington Post Reuters - The Associated Press - BBC News - ABC News all 601 news articles Publ.Date : Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:10:08 GMT RSS2Blog Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages

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