Happy April

In Old English, daisies were known as the “day’s eye” as its petals close around its yellow center at night and reopen during the day towards the sun. 

The daisy symbolizes

• purity
• innocence
• loyal love
• true love
• fertility
• motherhood
• cheerfulness
• transformation. 

The daisy symbolizes our childlike cheerfulness and playfulness of warm breezes and hopeful blooms that springtime triggers. 

Daisies given between friends symbolize a pact to keep a secret.  The exchange of the daisy says “I’ll keep your promise” or “I’ll never tell”. 

Daisies given are also a way to show your undying love.  Daisy petals are perfect for the “love-me, love-me-not” game of our younger years. 

Hope is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tunes without the words – And never stops at all –

~ Emily Dickinson ~

I have been curious about the meaning of Emily Dickinson’s poem “‘Hope is the Thing with Feathers”. Here is what I discovered.

In the first stanza of the poem, the word “Hope” is transformed into a bird that is always present in the human soul.  The bird “Hope” sings a wordless tune in our soul without ever stopping, no matter how tough the situation.  

The bird’s song is an expression through music of having “Hope”.  

The song of the bird reminds us that “Hope” is never really gone, even in the worst of times.  

“Hope” lives in our heart always.  “Hope” frees us from despair and gives us the courage and strength to move on.  The power of “Hope” will always be with us, especially in times of difficulty.  

We all benefit from having hope. 

Mental Health

Having hope reduces stress.  Having hope reduces anxiety.  Having hope makes us happy.  Hopeful people laugh and smile more. 

Holding on to hope helps us wake up feeling positive.  Holding on to hope helps with controlling our emotions.   Holding on to hope helps us cope.     

Physical Health

Hope improves our overall health.  Hope strengthens our immune system.  Hope reduces joint pain.  Hope improves our daily habits.  We eat better, we exercise more regularly, we make better choices. 

Positive Outlook for the Future

Hope is the basis for positive change.  Hope is the belief that the outlook for our future is positive.  Hope is necessary for getting us through tough times.  

Hope is the belief that things can be better.  Hope allows us to have positive thoughts about the future.  Hope is taking the action needed to make the changes happen – to set goals, to find resources, to work hard, to accept setbacks, to wait patiently, to not give up.  

Hope motivates us to take those positive actions.  Those positive actions then lead to positive results.  Those positive results then lead to life success.  

Good for You

Hope gives life meaning.  Hope turns fear into courage and strength.  Hope turns wanting to quit into endurance and patience.  Hope turns doubt into confidence.  Hope turns negativity into positivity.  Hope turns turmoil into peace.  Hope turns discouragement into motivation.  

Hope is good for you.  Hope makes you feel good. Hope gives life meaning.  Hope helps you thrive.  Hope can help you survive.  Having hope is GOOD! 

 

Hope Motivates

Hope Encourages

Hope Energizes

Hope Empowers

Hope Strengthens

Hope Heals

Hope Connects

Hope Stabilizes

The world needs hope.  It is an essential necessity.  It makes the world go round.  

We all have something we hope for.  Hope helps us define what we want in our futures.  Hope gives us the strength to fight another day.  Hope has a way of making everyday life better. 

Hope is an important part of being human.  It is what sustains us.  Hope inspires us.  It helps us define what we want in our future.  

Without hope we are not living but merely surviving.  We slip into depression and despair.  We lose our motivation to endure.  We lose all desire to live. We must hold on to our hopes and not give in to despair. 

Hope is Motivation

Hope is an important tool.  Hope gives us the willpower to change.  Hope is the motivation to persevere.  Hope helps us to keep working towards a goal, even if we don’t think that a positive outcome is likely.  Hope helps us get through our tough times that can feel absolutely unbearable.  

Hope is not just an emotion that makes you feel good.  Hope also is motivation to keep reaching for the good.  Hope leads to learning, growth and improvement.  Hope allows us to approach our problems with strategies that increase our chances of success.  Hope gives us the willpower and the strategies to achieve our goals.  

Hope is Foundation

Hope is a set of skills, a foundation, a characteristic that we can learn and develop from.  We can take our hope strategies anywhere with us.  Our hopes help us to thrive in life.  Hope responds to our need for happiness, a happiness that we carry in our hearts. Our hopes help us to aspire to fulfill our need of happiness.  

Hope is imagining that there is something to believe in.  People make life decisions everyday fueled by their hope.  Hope is the foundation of all that is accomplished in the world, all the great and mighty things that have been accomplished.  Hope allows us to see what is probable and then opens the paths to the impossible.  We can do anything in this world if we hold on to hope.  

Hope Helps us Find Light

Hope helps us see.  We are able to find light in the darkness that surrounds us.  Hope helps us get past the negativity of the world and to believe that things can change.  Hope helps us see past the burdens that have been placed on our life.  Hope helps us see when we have been blinded by despair.  Hope can help make a tough situation better by allowing us to envision a better future and thus motivating us to make it happen.  Hope allows us to consider that there may be a way out of our problems.  

Hope is Good

Hope is good for us.  Hope makes us strong emotionally.  People who have hope tend do better in life.  

Hopeful people have 

•  Improved general health
• Boosted immune systems
• Reduced joint pain
• Quicker recovery after surgery 
• Reduced stress
• Reduced anxiety
• Fewer depressive symptoms 
• Closer relationships with the friends and family
• Improved social relationships
• Better grades. 

Hope helps you

• Feel greater emotional and psychological well being 
• Control your emotions
• Maintain a healthy brain and lifestyle 
• Withstand discomfort and pain more
• Create self worth
• Feel happy
• Worry less
• Procrastinate less 
• Broaden and build your mind 
• Motivate positive action that leads to real life success
• Be motivated to take action
• Stimulate your decision-making and problem-solving abilities 
• Boost performance in academics or athletics 
• Do better in your job.

Hope may be our most important emotion.  Hope is the inspiration in all our lives.  It is the basis of living.  It is vital to our success.  

Where there is hope there is enthusiasm and there is success.  Just envisioning something hopeful can give us moments of happiness and joy.  

No matter what we face in life, with hope we can overcome our challenges and achieve our goals.  We can do anything in this world if we keep hope in our heart.  

Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. Hope gives us a sense of expectation and anticipation that what we want can come true.  Hope is the belief that good things will happen.  

The definition of hope can be different for each one of us.  For some, hope could be felt in a spiritual context.  Hope would mean that good things will happen through our faith in a higher being.  Hope might be asked for in the form of a prayer.  For others, hope could mean always looking on the bright side and always “hoping for the best”.  

For all though, hope is the desire for things to change for the better.  Hope is the feeling that good things will come.  To hope is to want something to happen. 

Hope is a Pleasant Feeling

Hope is emotional.  Hope is a pleasant feeling.  Hope gives us confidence.  Hope gives us strength.  Hope is a light in the darkness.  Hope is the sun that shines in our soul.  When everything looks bleak, hope gives us the feeling that there is something better in the future.  When we are filled with hope we feel excited, energetic, and happy.  Hope is a feeling of warmth.  

Hope in Dark Times

It is hard to feel any positive emotions without hope.  Without hope, we often feel discouraged and depressed.  Without hope we have no way of getting through life’s obstacles and setbacks.  Even during our darkest times there is still hope, but we have to feel it.  Hope is the one way to move towards getting rid of our troublesome emotions of frustration, sadness and despair.  Hope makes our current discomforts and difficulties easier to work through.    

Hope is a Choice

Hope is a decision.  Hope is not something you have but something that you do.  Hope is a choice we make about how we might respond to any given situation.  Hope is a decision to act as if change is possible even as we face feelings of unworthiness, hopelessness, and discouragement.  Hope gives us confidence in life.  Hope gives to us courage and bravery. 

Hope Creates Possibilities

Hope is the groundwork for seeing possibilities and opportunities.  It gives us the motivation to look to the future.  Hope is what keeps us going.  Hope gives us the courage to pursue our dreams.  Hope lets us imagine the future.  Hope provides us with goals and the encouragement needed to achieve those goals.  When you have hope the impossible is possible.  

Hope, Courage, Bravery

We all are hopeful for something.  Hope pushes us to keep going.  Hope helps us fight the battles life throws at us.  Hope helps us stay positive and optimistic.  Hope gives us courage.  Hope gives us bravery.  Hope will always be there when life is difficult.

The March daffodil symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings. 

As one of the first perennials to bloom, the sunny daffodil is the welcome to spring.  It is the send off of winter.  It is the goodbye to snow and cold.  The daffodil is the hello to warmer days. 

With it being the first flower of spring, the daffodil is a symbol of hope to cancer patients and those affected by the disease.  The daffodil represents hope for a cancer-free future.  

The daffodil is seen as a sign of 

• Renewal, resilience, and vitality
• Joy, cheerfulness, and happiness 
• Creativity
• Inspiration
• Awareness and inner reflection
• Memory
• Hope.

Daffodils are often given on the 10-year wedding anniversary.  

The most common daffodil colors are

The sunshiny daffodil – the perfect hello for new beginnings and rebirth – the coming of spring. 

The flower of HOPE!