While learning to adapt in times of uncertainty, some things never change—like our basic need to connect with others and our desire for beauty. So, in the middle of a pandemic, I’m searching for new ways to create art and spread hope. For a new project called Light Up Hope, I purchased one hundred and fifty paper lunch bags and six hundred battery-operated candles to make luminaries for my neighborhood.
Then I contacted over a dozen neighbors and asked if they wanted to participate. Admittedly, a few of the neighbors I had rarely spoken to, or even met, though we have lived in the same neighborhood for over twenty years. But everyone said, “Yes.”
After lighting the paper lanterns, one neighbor got a little emotional. A second neighbor said that her family went on a special outing to drive past the lights. And a third neighbor responded with a note: “Thanks for doing this and reminding us of our Hope.” This small, healing project ended up encouraging so many neighbors, including a few who are hurting right now. While peering from our windows, the sacred beauty connected us—house to house—and revived our sense hope.
