A message about hope

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

Recently, I spoke about hope.

It seems to be front and center in my life lately. On October 19, the Brian Dagle Foundation celebrated five years of “Anchored in Hope”. It was both a celebration and an opportunity to honor and thank all of the people who have given me hope.

It is also what we live by. If you could distill the work we do in suicide prevention into one action, it would be manifesting hope.

The mission of the Brian Dagle Foundation begins with “Anchored in Hope”. It is both a term and an event that is a testament to the work we do in our grief support programs; an homage to the people who arrive at our door hopeless, wondering how they will survive their new world without their loved one.

Hopelessness – better known as depression – is a very real and tangible disease that we fight to cure in our daily work, and it starts with restoring hope. Hope that we can reduce the stigma and educate people to understand that death by suicide should not be treated differently than death by cancer, heart disease, or any other illness. Hope that we can encourage our friends, neighbors and peers to reach out and ask for help with the certainty and comfort of knowing that it is not a sign of weakness, but rather a desire to live with abundance, with joy – with hope.

There are times when our hearts are so shattered that hope seems so intangible, so theoretical, as though it is an idea rather than an anchor. Even the prospect of joy and happiness someday making a return in life may feel inconceivable, almost intolerable. For me, it was impossible. My world – at that time – was hopeless.

But now, like the mission of the foundation, the world I live in is anchored in hope.So I share this with you– I understand that right now, in your broken heart, there is no hope. But if you will, please let me or someone else in your life hold that hope for you. And it is my hope for you that slowly, maybe even unknowingly, once again, you will begin to feel hope in your heart. Then together, we will share that hope with people like us.

Wishing you moments of peace and hope in your heart- Ann