Your Secret Hope

I received a wonderful book as a gift recently: FLORIOGRAPHY An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers. Flowers spoke a secret language in a time when people did not express thoughts and feelings so openly. At the beginning of this New Year, it seems appropriate to consider the meaning of the Hawthorn flower: hope. Greek brides wore this flower in their hair hoping for love and happiness in the marriage. 

“If it were not for hopes, the heart would break.” Thomas Fuller

There is a collective sense of hope in the world as we embark upon this new year. We share dreams of health and safety, reuniting with friends and loved ones.

Hope is a theme that runs perpetually in the background of our lives. We may not consciously wish for a good day upon arising in the morning, or hope the hours ahead hold love and laughter and kindness. But we do. We hope for success at school or work. We hope for health and the well being of friends and family. We hope that the future will be better than the past. Our lives are filled with hope.