Hope found in newlywed’s faces

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul…” - Emily Dickinson

If ever there is a time when hope springs anew, for me, it is the beginning of a new year. There is something so optimistic about all those blank calendar pages, stretching into the year ahead…and, something so cleansing about throwing all of those old calendar pages away.

I like to reflect on the past year, as I flip through the pages of last year’s calendar, transferring birthdays and anniversaries to the year ahead. I like to take a moment to be thankful for all the good things that happened, and to lick my wounds a bit over all the bad things that also occurred. 2008 was a particularly rough year in the Clark house, and I am glad to see it go. I’m so glad 2008 is over, that I’m not even having any trouble remembering to write 2009 on checks and letters and such. Goodbye, good riddance - 2008! Welcome, 2009 – with whatever is in store!

I am not an optimistic person – quite the opposite, in fact. Every glass I see is half-empty, every silver cloud has a dark lining, disaster in one form or another lurks around every corner…So, you see why this ritual of sitting down with a fresh calendar and actually looking forward to the year ahead is particularly special to me. It is a fleeting and precious time of optimism in my otherwise pessimistic year.

By late January, my annual winter depression sets in and there is no more hope springing eternal in this bleak, weary heart until the spring sun begins to shine again…At least, that is the way it has been. But this year, I am thinking about taking a different approach. This year I am considering making “Hope!” my motto for the entire year – not just the month of January.

I got an incredibly upbeat Christmas letter from an old friend, who proclaimed, “We choose Hope!” several times in each paragraph. This woman is, and always has been, a particularly rabid optimist, so the tone of her letter was no surprise. But, something about the phrase she used so often, and so optimistically, struck me.

Can “Hope!” be a choice we make? Can someone like me choose “Hope!” rather than fear or dread, as my anchoring emotion? Even in the face of challenges like Mr. Clark’s continued unemployment and our impending financial doom?

For a life-long pessimist, this is pretty radical thinking – which is why I’m still “considering” and “thinking about” making “Hope!” my motto this year…

But, as so often is the case, the good Lord has provided clear lessons and obvious nudges as to how He wishes me to proceed…With regard to hope, the lessons are found in my work as a wedding photographer. There is nothing more hopeful or optimistic than the faces of a bride and groom, as they stand together - in the company of God, their families and friends - and join their lives and hearts. Even a crusty old pessimist like me is touched every time I witness this amazing sight - and, in the wedding photography business, that is, thankfully, quite often.

I can be in a horrible mood, with a wedding party that is running me ragged by being tardy or tipsy or simply hard to corral…the bride may have melted down…her mother may have yelled at me…the groom’s mother may be a wreck…or, maybe one of the grampas has disappeared…a disaster might have occurred with the cake, or the veil, or the dress…the list of things that can go wrong at a wedding is endless…The thing that always goes right at a wedding, however, is the look that comes on both of those lit-up-with-love faces, as the couple joins hands, looks deeply into each others’ eyes and promises their future to each other.

And, even though as many as 40% of those couples may eventually part ways, on that day, at that moment, in those hearts, there is nothing but hope…Hope springing eternal in their eyes, and in mine, as I brush away a tear while trying to capture that moment for posterity with my camera’s eye.

So, yes, this year - just like all of those newlyweds - I choose “Hope!” With no guarantee of outcome, I will make “Hope!” my conscious choice each day. Feels like a pretty big undertaking, especially in the face of all my usual fear and dread…Good thing I’ve already got weddings booked through the new year, to keep me tearful, hopeful, and on track!