Hope

I discovered this artist/author recently and I just love his work. His name is Charlie Mackesy. He never went to art school, and started as a cartoonist. His work with the boy, the mole, the horse, and the fox is enchanting, and wise, and beautiful. Elizabeth Gilbert put it this way…

“The world that I am required to inhabit is this one. But the world that I long to inhabit is the one that Charlie Mackesy has created.’ Elizabeth Gilbert

He wrote a book full of his beautiful art and these characters and it was a surprise success. It was hard to even find a copy after it’s release. His art and words are so simple, but powerful. I’ll add the amazon link to the book here.

This past few years have been hard. The past year maybe the hardest. I walked through a lot of stress and confusion and the swirl almost pulled me down. I felt very lost at times. I doubted what I thought was sure.

The simplicity of this art spoke to me, almost more than the many serious books I read and therapy sessions I had.

This one in particular is my favorite.

I’ve written about how brave it is to ask for help, and to tell someone you are not ok. I’ve written about how much therapy has helped me. (linked HERE) But this hand drawn picture says it more clearly than I could ever write with words.

I’ve been thinking so much about what we all need, what we are looking for, when we feel lost. Hope. We want to hope this this will get better. We want hope that the uncomfortable will end. We want hope that the sky will clear, that the path will get easier.

The whole world went through a lot this year. And Hope is what we all wanted…that things would get back to “normal”.

Sometimes hope comes from the strangest places. For me, a little piece of hope came through Mackesy’s art.

Maybe I wasn’t prepared for life to be hard. Sometimes I think back to being 18, and I wish I could see through that lens again. But maybe that’s the joy of being 18 right?

When I was going through infertility treatments after we adopted Phoenix, I remember feeling an inner peace and almost like the voice of God telling me to “Let Hope In”. Daniel even wrote a song with that title. In some ways, hope has been a theme in our lives. Sometimes it is a choice…to ever let the crack o light in…let the ideas of hope in. It’s a choice to not only focus on what isn’t going right, but to look towards the horizon for hope, believing it will look different eventually,

Maybe that’s why there was a sharper sting when the road got harder. I needed hope again.

In AA, the first step is admitting we aren’t in control.

I’m learning that’s a big part of the answer. We admit there is a Higher Power who keeps everything going. We admit we are powerless over the future. But we cling to Hope.

So I thought I would share this beautiful art. I love learning about treasures others have found.

Hope.

Sometimes it feels so far away. But when it comes, you find a warmth and a peace.

If you find yourself in a moment in time when you just want to hope..,look for it in the unusual. Keep your eyes open. Keep your heart soft and ready. It might come in the most unusual way.