Cultivating Hope in the New Year

By: Maria Servold EPLA Editor

There’s something special about January. Even though the Christmas decorations are coming down and the long, dark days blend into each other, there is a spark in many of our hearts - a spark of hope that the new year may promise something special. 

Many people make New Year’s resolutions; they are often goals to achieve or things to do. Even if making concrete goals isn’t possible for you, it is always a good practice to cultivate hope at the beginning of a new year. 

One of the hardest things to do after a pregnancy loss is to have hope - hope that you will heal, hope that you will be able to achieve pregnancy again if you desire, hope that you will always remember your lost baby. 

​In this new year, let hope be your resolution. Hope is strong, and can get us through almost anything. 

Last weekend, I bought myself a bouquet of tulips. They were bright yellow and orange - a welcome sight among the gray of a Midwest winter. Not only were they pretty to look at as they slowly opened over the week, they also reminded me to have hope in what is to come: springtime, sunshine, and healing for those who are suffering after a loss. 

Maria Servold is an Editor at the EPLA, Assistant Director of the Herbert H. Dow II Program in American Journalism, and Lecturer in Journalism at Hillsdale College.