"Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all.." ~ Emily Dickinson

There is a bittersweet quality that permeates the air in September. In the northern hemisphere, we say our reluctant goodbyes to summer. When September rolls around there is something in our early programming that kicks in. We gear up for all of the activities associated with fall. Kids return to school and we all begin to pick up the pace.

We never really do finish school while we are alive on this planet. We continue to learn life lessons and hopefully grow through all of our experiences. Much of our earlier training at home and school prepares us to face life as warriors or worriers. The good news is that we can learn to become more resilient if we are willing to do our "hope" work. That's right. That wasn't a typo. I meant "hope" work. Too many of us have been basing our lives for far too long on what is reasonable and evident rather than on faith and belief.

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I refer to faith, I mean that which is unseen, unproven and is in the realm of the mysterious. Faith requires our active belief. There may be things you are experiencing in your life right now that seem impossible to overcome. Hope is that expectation that the drought in your business, your finances, your relationships, your health could all change in an instant. Don't be deceived by the evidence to the contrary. Hope is what will expand your thinking and challenge your beliefs about what is possible.

According to Greek Mythology, the gods gave Pandora a beautiful box with instructions to never open it. Pandora's curiosity was stronger than her will and she couldn't resist opening it. Once opened, all of the ills of the world came flying out of the box. No one has ever been able to contain them again. However, at the bottom of the box, almost overlooked, was Hope.

Who would have believed that 309 people could survive a burning plane crash last month in Toronto, Canada? Everyone called it a miracle. I also believe it was evidence that Hope is alive.

You can look at the devastation that took place along the Gulf Coast and only see suffering or, you can look again, and see that Hope is alive there, too.