Sowing tiny seeds, a ritual that farmers experience each spring, is the beginning of the life forms that will sustain them and many other families for the coming year. The miracle that a tiny, unassuming seed becomes an ear of corn, a bean, a radish, or a carrot is all the evidence we need to believe that our own tiny seed of hope can also mature and feed us in ways we hadn't imagined.

While this sounds reasonable, it's not always easy to translate what is true in the cycle of crop production to our own troubled existence. But possessing a hopeful perspective is powerful and life-changing, every bit as miraculous as the reconstitution of a small yellow seed into a sturdy stalk of corn. In our mental and spiritual lives, the process is the same.

A significant transformation can take place if a seed whether it's a physical seed or a thought or idea is properly nourished.