Welcome to winter, the darkest season of the year, when people from many traditions mark the holidays with candles to light the darkness.
This winter, we, too, can light candles of hope to bring greater light to our lives and brighten the world of darkness, discord, and division around us.
Hope is not just wishing things were better. It's taking action by setting a goal we can believe in, moving forward with pathways or steps toward our goal, and strengthening our agency, or motivation to keep moving forward (Snyder, 1994). Here are two hope-promoting practices from my new book, Pathways to Inner Peace (Dreher, 2025).
The Light of Personal Connection. We need community, supportive connections with the people around us to feel a sense of belonging and trust in our world. The sense of community has been lost to many of us in recent years. Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (2023) warned of an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in America and this year the World Health Organization has reported an alarming rise in anxiety and depression worldwide (2025).
Yet each of us can cultivate community by connecting with the people in our lives. This includes not only our loved ones and close friends but what psychologist Barbara Fredrickson (2013) calls "micromoments of connectivity," a smile or kind word to people we encounter in daily life, from a neighbor, a colleague, or the grocery store clerk. These brief connections benefit both the giver and the receiver, raising our mood, relieving stress, and reducing inflammation. And these small connections can create a positive ripple effect, building greater community around us.
The Light of Gratitude. Pausing to appreciate the good in our lives can improve our health and wellbeing. Psychologist Robert Emmons (2007) has found that grateful people are healthier and happier, better able to cope with stress, more optimistic, resilient, and connected to others. Simply reflecting on three things we're grateful for at the end of the day, or counting our blessings as we drift off to sleep, can bring greater light to our lives, build our trust in a loving creator and restore our faith in life (Watkins et al., 2024).
I invite you to join me in these two practices to connect with the light of hope.
- Spreading the light of personal connection. By reaching out to a friend or loved one with a text, card, or call. By making it a point to share a "micromoment of connectivity" with someone you see today. Even little connections can help light the darkness.
- Pausing for a moment of gratitude at the end of the day. Giving thanks for three good things in your life—from the natural beauty around you, to the stars sparkling overhead, connecting with a dear friend, your favorite music, a moment of inspiration, or something else. A daily gratitude practice can light up your life with hope for the days to come.
I wish you joy, love, and light throughout this winter season.
References
Dreher, D. (2025). Pathways to inner peace. Hollister, CA: MSI Press.
Emmons, R. A. (2007). Thanks! How practicing gratitude can make you happier. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Love 2.0: How our supreme emotion affects everything we feel, think, do, and become. New York, NY: Hudson Street Press.
Murthy, V. H. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf
Snyder, C. R. (1994). Making hope happen. New York, NY: Free Press.
Watkins, P., Emmons, R., Davis, D., & Frederick, M. (2024). Thanks be to God: Divine gratitude and its relationship to well-being. Religions, 15, 1246.
World Health Organization. (2025, Sept 2). Over a billion people living with mental health conditions. https://www.who.int/news/item/02-09-2025-over-a-billion-people-living-with-mental-health-conditions-services-require-urgent-scale-up