Wrapped in a blanket, hammock-ing in a sunbeam filled snowbank. My hubby has hope!

Submitted by Rachel Buck

Blank space. So much possibility found on blank canvases. The ‘Mona Lisa’ started as a blank space and it now sits behind inches thick protective glass and is arguably the most recognizable image in the world of art.

I could bill this as a finished minimalist work called: “Rum-fid in a Blizzid.” I will not however. Instead there will be a large scale landscape on this three panel triptych. I’m going for a dramatic image with very undramatic landscape, which means there will not be snow capped peaks or a colorful sunset. Simple but dramatic.

Blank canvas represents hope just as it does confusion, pressure, freedom, and excitement. It can be the foundation of beauty, horror, humor, or controversy. Hope lies within all of those reactive emotions as well. Beauty can inspire someone who’s down. Horror and controversy can sometimes call attention to an evil in the world than needs attention. Blank space can be powerful.

Submitted by Joe McLaughlin

Hope is a fern unfurling in spring. I transplanted this moss and fern clump last fall, not knowing if it would have the right environment to flourish. Lo and behold, it does.

--Submitted by Amity Beane

You can't always plan for what the future holds,
but you can plan on how you're going to handle it.

I have hope for his future, and that his son will walk an easier path.

I will be there for it all, cheering them on, from the sidelines.

Isn't that hope in a nutshell?

Submitted by Rachel Buck.

Half winter; half spring. This state makes me so excited. The air is warmer; the snow is disappearing by the day and the smile is glued on my face. Everyone in this little town seems to be waking up and going out for a run or walk.

[also can be seen on my Flickr]

-submitted by Jill Schnorr

May God bless and keep you always,
May your wishes all come true,
May you always do for others
And let others do for you.
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May you grow up to be righteous,
May you grow up to be true,
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you.
May you always be courageous,
Stand upright and be strong,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

May your hands always be busy,
May your feet always be swift,
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift.
May your heart always be joyful,
May your song always be sung,
May you stay forever young,
Forever young, forever young,
May you stay forever young.

-Bob Dylan "Forever Young"

submitted by Laura Mazzola

March theme: Hope

February was fun! So much snow...a lot of people were out playing in it and enjoying winter!

As I pondered the next theme, I really wanted to do something that was open to interpretation and didn't have to do with the weather as much as the character of the people who put up with it.

See, we here in Maine ENJOY the weather...up until a certain point...and then it starts to affect our mental faculties.

One of the things that give me hope, personally, is starting seeds. I have lived in Maine longer than any other place and know the cycle of the seasons intimately. Having grown up on a farm, the month of March is always tremendously hopeful...because this is when things start to grow again, even if inside.

Now, hope can take many forms, not just the promise within a tiny seed that needs light and heat to grow. Remember, this is about Maine. Where have you seen hope? In the hands of a grandmother? In the face of a child? In the new bud of a tree? In the cracking of the ice or a patch of dirty snow with a bit of brown earth beneath? In an Easter sunrise?

Here's to Hope in March, that all things will begin anew.