Dear Friend,
For the past six months I have been deep in the scholarship of Br. David Steindl-Rast and other great minds to better understand hope. My studies were challenging and exhilarating!
Hope is often confused with optimism. It also frequently gets swept up in clichés that seldom offer anything of substance for confronting adversity, injustice, and moments in human history where it feels like the world is falling apart. This is a terrible shame because hope offers exactly what we need in order to endure, thrive, and progress. What I have learned in my study is that hope asks a lot of us. It requires us to discern and become a people of possibility.
This soul work, as guest speaker Dr. Simran Jeet Singh will share in our upcoming course, compels us to embody our values and share this light with each other. Also joining us are Dr. John Paul Lederach, who will help us realize that hope work is our shared work and it dwells among us; Maggie Jackson, who will show us the opportunity that exists within uncertainty; Cristina Pato, who will speak to finding hope while wrestling with purpose; and Mingyur Rinpoche, who will share his story of leaving his monastery in India to rediscover the world and encounter joy and hope among the people.
Earlier this month, role models for what it means to have a hopeful spirit completed our Grateful Gatherings Host Training. This emerging global movement with hosts in 29 countries will provide space for people to cultivate their grateful living practice in community through rich dialogue and empowering resources from our organization. Our newly trained hosts are giving an incredible gift to their communities and beyond.
As we approach the launch of our Grateful Hope course, I am arriving with a passionate heart — not despite everything going on in the world, but because of it. Join us, and let’s grow together through grateful hope!
In Grateful Hope,
Joe Primo
CEO, Grateful Living
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