I imagined a tree where hope springs eternal in its life giving boughs. Where the morning light streams through newborn leafbuds and blossoms color the dreary wintry world anew. I imagined the same rebirth in the depths of my dreary soul where the Light of God dispels the deadness and sparks new life in me, just not the baby kind, please. But to new ideas, creativity, love, and the patience to finish the inspirations of the past, yes! To my current level of insight and understanding this is what the painting of the tree expresses. I would like to walk in such a world and rest under an ethereal tree to be rejuvenated, filled with peace and the spiritual power that comes from “Christ in me, the hope of glory.” Lately, when dealing with difficult people, I find that verse from the Bible bubbling up in me and I insert the name of the person troubling me as a prayer: “Christ in _____, the hope of glory!” It really helps to soothe anger rising up and keeps stress at bay. No one is beyond hope, not ever!
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always to be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.”
Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man
Snippets and Snatches 