Hope

Hope

hope

1. a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

2. grounds for believing that something good may happen.

Hope is from the Stroke of Emotions Series I created in 2017.

In this image I am sitting in a room of decay. Over my shoulder, a butterfly flits by...a sign that life still holds beauty and there is a glimpse of hope.

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Sometimes it's difficult to see anything positive in our situations because it can be just a fleeting moment. I believe that no matter how desperate times become, there is a glimmer of hope if you look hard enough.

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You may not be able to see it yourself but, with help, you may be able to find it.

Once you decide your glass is half full, there is hope. You have shone the light on the good things in your life, and that brightens your world.

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Having hope doesn't mean you won't have any more bad days. But it does make your bad days easier to cope with. It does make you realize that life does go on, even if we wish things would be different.

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Hope doesn't have to wait until big, momentous changes happen. Hope can start to blossom with little things, small accomplishments that mean things may be turning around.

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Sometimes getting out of bed and seeing the sun shine can be enough to help.

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In the first weeks after John's stroke, I found no joy in anything. I couldn't concentrate to read, I didn't want to talk to anyone, I wouldn't engage with life.

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But sitting with my cat on my lap helped. Spending time sitting quietly in the garden with my dogs helped.

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They made no demands. They know how to "just be" and they helped me "just be" as well.

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About Stroke of Emotions:
In an effort to deal with my worry and feelings of helplessness after my husband had a major stroke in 2017, I turned to my hobby of photography. I took self portraits and created composited images using my photographic library to help define and illustrate my feelings. From devastation through rejuvenation, it is a story of a healing journey that I hope will help others going through a difficult time.

The complete story of Stroke of Emotions is available in book format. To view and/or purchase online click on this link.