As I write this, it’s Inauguration Day.  Every Inauguration symbolizes a new day and serves as a sign of hope for America.  No matter what, we can always create a feeling of hope for ourselves and our country.  What is a thought that creates a feeling of hope for you?

I love the word hope.  Though my favorite word is wonder.

Last night I had a moment of wonder.  It didn’t start that way.  I was complaining and grumbling that no one took out the trash, so I did it.  Who better than me?  When I went to the garage, I saw that my husband had already taken it out.  I live in cold Nebraska.  It was a crisp and very cold evening.  It was around 10pm.  I ran to the end of the driveway, opened the trash bin lid and dropped the trash bag in, and turned to run back into my warm house, when suddenly I looked up.  I looked up to the night sky to see the most beautiful stars twinkling in their places, standing at attention, each one a little gift for my eyes to unwrap, set in their constellations, doing what they do. They took my breath away.  I soaked them up and thanked the stars and ran back into my house with the excitement and wonder of a kid on Christmas morning.  What did Santa bring?  The best present ever!  A whole sky of twinkling stars.  The stars weren’t the gift.  The gift was the reminder to look up and to be in wonder of the moments that can take your breath away.

So, don’t forget to look up, to be in wonder and to create a feeling of hope for yourself and for our country.  We can do this!  We can create wonder and we can always look up with hope!