In This Issue
In Defense of Hope
Hope Tree Symbol
of the Month: Perseverance Featured Reading, Listening & Watching
Food For Thought
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The Hope Journal on LIVE every Thursday at 9 AM MT
On Thursday mornings,
fill your coffee mug, snuggle up in a comfy chair and listen to us LIVE on Internet radio.
Just go to This hour long show features stories about hope, interviews and live conversations with guests from around the world, email and tweeted questions - PLUS - weekly homework assignments for you to sharpen your own "Hope Quotient." If you ever miss us live, the previous shows will be archived and available 24/7 via the station's web site by clicking on the "Archives" tab. Then find The Hope Journal listing and choose the show date you want to hear.
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Now You Can Experience The Hope Tree For Yourself.
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The Hope Tree Inspired Gifts
Visit our store by clicking the picture above to see meaningful gifts for a loved one or friend in need of a reminder to feel hopeful and encouraged.
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Food For Thought
"Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are."
Arthur Golden "In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends"
John Churton Collins "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Abraham Lincoln "What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."
Henry Ford
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When things are
seemingly hopeless . . .
Dear Hopefuls,
We are all likely struggling today as the reality of Friday's tragedy here in Colorado washes over us. But it is not a cleansing bath. We lie motionless in murky water - heavy from the weight of unanswered questions, grief and the disbelief that our world may indeed have gone mad. I struggle to find hope myself this morning. It is as if we are in a free fall - arms and legs wildly clawing for purchase where there is none to be found. As our own Dr. Ronna Jevne would tell us - write about it. Get it out and begin helping yourself heal in the process. I encourage all of you to do this.
The words that comforted me are offered to you below: In Defense of Hope. Please share your own words with the rest of us on www.Facebook.com/TheHopeJournalShow
Thank you all for being part of this community of hope. Our thoughts and prayers fly on wings of love to the victims and their families here in Colorado
Carol Jeanotilla & The Hope Tree Gang
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In Defense of Hope
As I sit here looking out my window this early morning, fragrant pine trees filled with chattering birds - intent on feeding their young - it is hard to conceive that grief awakens in so many others with their first rousing today. Even the horses lazing in the distant field have no idea that tragedy co-exists with the sun on their backs, the gentle breeze in their tails or that it has taken up residence right along side the fresh grass they nuzzle. What do animals know of tragedy like this? Yes, they live in a world filled with the joys and harsh cruelties of Nature in equal measure. But same-species inflicted harm - just for the fun of it? Ah, yes. This level of cruelty? This is man's domain alone.
We say it is inhuman. In human. It must be in us somehow - this extra genetic veil keeping that view of humanity murky in some of us. Like a cowl obscuring one's view of love, kindness, compassion, empathy and hope. Clearly, the perpetrator of the July 20th tragedy in our beloved Colorado had long ago slid that mantle into place. We are left to wonder what happened to his once young self - open, eager, malleable and capable of joy.
Was it something we did as a culture? Did we miss so many the clues he left revealing his pain that he felt the need to retaliate? Is our society to be held accountable in some way for stunting his ability to relate to his fellow humans? Or is it that aberrant genetic fleck - clinging there on the edge of chromosome "xyz" - barely visible in the microscope? We will likely never have these answers in our lifetimes.
(Click to continue reading.)
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Our Featured Symbol from
The Hope Tree: Perseverance
Messages of encouragement to endure fill our childhoods: From the little train that could: "I think I can, I think I can." to Dori in Nemo telling us: "Just keep swimming, keep swimming. Swimming and swimming and swimming." Likely all cultures have symbols and stories about this essential survival skill.
The symbol of perseverance that we chose here comes to us from the West African Adinkra people. It is inspired by the seeds of their Wawa tree - which are extremely hard. In Adinkra culture, it is a symbol of someone who is strong and tough. It inspires the individual to persevere through hardship and represents the ability to overcome difficulties by facing them head-on.
You will notice on the sculpted version of this symbol there is a trough in the center bar with circling level ground around it. This represents the recurring cycles of life. There will always be times when we slip over the edge into a ditch. But we can always find a way to lift ourselves back up - onto and into the level circle of life once more.
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Featured reading . . .
We are so happy to tell that you and your friends or family can now access all of our previous newsletters via this new link:
Here are our recommended books this month:
When Bad Things Happen To Good People by Harold Kushner (August 24, 2004) Copy and paste to amazon.com.
Head First: The Biology of Hope and the Healing Power of the Human Spirit by Norman Cousins (December 1, 1990) Copy and paste to amazon.com
Here are some wonderful hope-related web sites you can visit:
http://www.hopecafe.net http://www.ronnajevne.ca http://www.thehopelady.blogspot.com/ http://jessjourney.com And, of course, our own: www.TheHopeTree.com is a wonderful resource for hope, inspiration and clear explanations about the amazing physiology of hope.
You can also listen . . .
We've told you how to us listen on the radio: The Hope Journal Show. And you don't have to be at a computer either. There are many devices that will stream via WiFi: Kindles, Nooks, iPhones or iPads, to name a few. Or check us out as an official radio station on www.Live365.com - just type in Castle Rock Radio.
Now you can listen to the past 8 months of shows online, 24/7 at your leisure @
www.CastleRockRadio.com/archives.html
Just find The Hope Journal Show listing and click on the date you want. Here is a directory of which guest was on which date they appeared:
12-1-11 Carol - Inaugural Show 12-8-11 Liz Adamson - Thriving With Cancer 12-15-11 Ronna Jevne, PhD - Hope Pioneer 12-22-11 Debbie Spooner, MSW - Cancer Journey 12-29-11 Carol - Emailed Questions 1-5-12 Bill Scott - Survival 1-12-12 Mary Duell, RN, NP - Grief & Hope 1-19-12 Carol - Starizon Stories 1-26-12 Repeat 2-2-12 Repeat 2-9-12 Carol - Charleston Epiphanies 2-16-12 Carol - Anatomy of Hope - Book Review 2-23-12 Carol & Tony - Snow Day 3-1-12 JoAline Olson VP of Adventist Innovations 3-8-12 Anita Belanger, RN, BSN - Hope in Transplant 3-15-12 Lynsee Hudson-Lang, MD - Physician Perspective 3-22-12 Janet Higgins - Advanced TM Practitioner 3-29-12 Barb Head, RN, BSN, MSN 4-5-12 Selena Casso, MSW 4-12-12 Kim Baker - KB Horsemanship 4-26-12 Wendy Edey, PhD - International Hope Foundation 5-3-12 Mark Watson, Director of Flashes of Hope 5-10-12 Gary Adamson, Starizon, Author, Visionary 5-17-12 Donna Sales, MSW - Intuition 5-24-12 Jude Keller, Healing Arts for Parker Adventist Hospital 5-31-12 Barry Boyd, - Haiti Relief Efforts 6-7-12 Repeat 6-14-12 Julie Zlatev, ROT - Myofascial Release & OT 6-21-12 Carol & Maslow Hierarchy of Needs 6-28-12 Ronna Jevne, PhD - Pilgrim Writers 7-5-12 Carol & Surrender 7-12-12 Holly Keane - Jessica's Journey 7-19-12 Sarah Hartway, RN, BSN, MSN Down syndrome
Or watch . . .
Settle into a comfy chair and watch the inspiring documentary, The Amazing Story of The Hope Tree. Whether you are interested in how it was created, what it means or how it inspires patients, families and staff alike - it is well worth the break in your day to have a peaceful, inspiring time. Here is the free link:
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