A Year of Gratitude – February 20, 2024

I found myself filled to the brim with gratitude for something this morning: hope. I don’t need to explain to you how powerful hope can be. It fills you with warmth and seems to make the entire world feel like a better place.

I didn’t wake up thinking about hope. I was busy worrying about things from yesterday, wondering how to fix things that needed fixing. I was deep in the mode of thinking about the long list of tasks that I needed to fit into the day ahead.

As I walked by this spot in the farmhouse, my eyes caught sight of this jar of buttons. I see this jar every day, but today I really looked at it. It’s filled with buttons from sewing projects over the years. There are a few from tiny clothes and costumes I made years ago when my children were small. There are a few from my grandmother’s old sewing basket. On top is this large, colorful button with “HOPE” written across it.

I bought that button during a time when I needed to be reminded of hope. I kept it on my sewing table for years. It’s been here so long that I don’t remember where it came from originally or how I used the other colorful buttons it came with.

I only remember the feeling I had. I wanted to be reminded to hold on tightly to hope, to keep it nearby. I hadn’t thought about it in quite a stretch of time. I knew it was there, I just didn’t actively think about it. Until today.

Have you ever stopped to look at something you pass by countless times and really seen it? Have you felt a reminder of the time it came into your life years later just by looking at it? I did today.

I felt sorry for the me that needed a button to remind her of hope. It made me sad for that version of me. It also made me celebrate where I am today, a person who carries hope with me. I hold it in my pocket, in my heart, and have it ready to share with the people I meet who need a bit of it added to their day.

I have learned that I need to keep a little hope for myself. I can make more to share, but only if I keep a bit of it for myself and protect it. It has to be nurtured so that it can grow and be shared.

And so, I was reminded of the importance of hope from a button today. I’ll be sure to keep a bit for myself, to carry it with me, and to share it with you when you need it.  

My wish for you is that the days ahead will be kind and that hope will help to carry you over the rough spots. Tuck a bit of mine in your pocket and carry it with you.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.