Dear IEN,

What is hope? Where does it come from? Why is it important? How do we sustain it?

I don’t really know, but I have been thinking about it all day today, with the first ever IEHP Hope Sessions. And I can tell you that by the end of the sessions, everyone walked away with it!

• What is a hope session? I don’t know.
• What do you do during a hope session? Convey hope?
• How do you do that? I don’t know. Send out the intention. Invite specifically chosen people. And see what happens.
• What happened? I can’t explain it. But something significant and special happen.

In speaking with one of the CELBANPrep Speaking Mentors after the session, she said, “I feel right now like I passed another exam!” She said,

“The hope that we gave tonight, is not just the adjective. It is actually more information about [CEPHEA], the company that is giving the exam and the experiences [of the CELBANPrep Staff] .. It is a cocktail of information and the feelings and giving them, you know bold letters, HOPE… The amazing amount of information and support that we gave, I am feeling really happy and … proud. I am proud of you, and I am really proud of myself being part of CELBANPrep and your company. It surprises me, it amazes me… I feel right now like I passed another exam or something. It is just amazing how we helped people! There are absolutely no regrets in attending this Hope Session. I am happy.”

It was in talking with her, in debriefing, that I was able to describe what had happened, “It is as if we, the CELBANPrep team, brought our individual torches of light and when we joined them together we created a bomb fire. Attracted to the light, following the light, IENs came out of the cold and the dark to warm themselves at the fire. And when the night came to a close, each went home with a blazing torch.”

Was it a success, in the evolution of the sessions from the morning to the evening, the answer is a resounding, “YES!”How can I tell? Because people simply did not want it to end. Hopefully, no pun intended, this is the first of many!

Thank you to all the IENs that participated. Thank you for your questions. Thank you for your time. Thank you for reaching out. Thank you for coming out of the cold and the dark and warming yourselves at the fire we created, so that we walked away with warmth in our hearts.

And to my wonderful staff, both my CELBANPrep Writing Coaches and my CELBANPrep Speaking Mentors, thank you for making the time to attend. You are the special ingredient of that cocktail that made all of this possible. Your willingness to share your experiences,of how you maintained hope despite the struggles and obstacles, and how you continue to give light to those IENs that come and are brought to us: this is what created the hope and light that emanated from the CELBANPrep hearth today. This is the very special quality that qualifies each of you to be part of my team, that you are natural healers and purveyors of hope and light.

I am ever blessed to welcome you into my circle, to have a seat by me by my fire. I echo the words of that wonderful Speaking Mentor, “I am so proud of you.”  I am so proud of what we achieved. Thank you all, for sustaining my dream. Thank you all for providing hope.

Sincerely,

Kim

P.S. If you attended a Hope Session, please leave a comment.