Finding Hope in Unexpected Moments
By Jim Doyle
NOTE: A version of this was originally published on LinkedIn and then repurposed for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s monthly Recovery Advocacy Update. If you’d like to receive our advocacy emails, subscribe today.
I was honored recently to give a talk entitled, “Finding Hope During the Holidays,” for a nonprofit organization that provides support for parents and families who have lost a child. As I was preparing and struggling to find words of comfort to share with heartbroken, grieving parents and family members, I went for a meditative walk. Having lost a son, I know the pain of living with the loss of a child. Healing takes time, and hope can fade away in the shadows of grief and sadness. Being hopeful in life is a choice we make moment to moment and day to day.
While walking, my intuition led me to climb up wooden stairs carved into a hill. At the top of the hill, on a bench, I happened to find a beautifully hand-painted stone with a snowman and the words “spread joy” on it.
I was amazed and humbled by these two comforting words. Wanting at first to pocket this joyful stone and keep it for myself, my inner voice told me the creator of this inspirational image had something else in mind. Sitting alone on the bench caressing the painted stone in my bare hands, I smiled at the snowman. In this unexpected moment, my heart was filled with hope.
I put the painted stone back on the bench for others to find and perhaps be inspired. I felt gifted with joy by this winter scene painted on a gray stone. We can all be ambassadors of hope. When we open our heart and mind, we can find hope in unexpected moments and spread joy with others. These acts of kindness can help trigger our own happiness, hope and wellbeing. Our world could benefit from more joy, and we can all help spread joy.
Hope is the way.
Jim Doyle is a public speaker and workshop facilitator and the author of Hope for Life: Being Your Best Self When You Need It Most, his insightful story of facing the heartbreak of losing a son to drug addiction and the healing process of living with hope and resilience. Jim’s faith helps him find joy and hope during the holiday season, even in the most unexpected moments.
