Rainbows are signs of hope. After long days of dark clouds and rainstorms, the sky breaks and brightens, and an amazing array of wondrous colours emerges – a sign of the beginning of newness and a fresh start.

I think the idea of hope is so valuable to me and hope is one my core values because hope has helped me through some very dark days. We all need hope and hope can encourage us when we feel discouraged and give us energy when we feel in despair.

It’s all too easy to focus on what we don’t have, what’s not working, and what we feel is “missing” in our lives in order for us to feel fulfilled. I have definitely had my share of negative thoughts, and times of focusing on my lack. I have gone through many seasons of waiting and wondering. I have struggled with myself and myself in relationships and I have questioned my purpose in this life. And hope has helped me to believe that something greater was coming. And that I am valuable!

Hope is such an incredible promise of positive outcomes. It is the great anticipation (but unknown) of something bigger, brighter, and better than what we are experiencing right now. And, when we focus on hope and what could be, we let go of all that we feel should be and our perspective opens up to all that is possible, not all that is lost. Fulfillment, for me, encompasses the very notion of hope because we hope to be fulfilled – by love, acceptance, optimism, and joy!