Synopsis
Daily we are asked to move toward bravery, to stretch in the direction of goodness, kindness, forgiveness, patience, and vulnerability. Yet life’s tender fragility, fear, anxiety, and our own practiced self-sabotage can derail us from growing and thriving, leaving us fractured and afraid.
Ordained Buddhist teacher and Quaker Valerie Brown invites us into the heart of compassion, insight, and courage. Filled with Quaker wisdom, mindfulness meditation practices, and portraits of real people living out simple yet life-affirming bravery, Hope Leans Forward is a guidebook for all of us who are on journeys of self-transformation, self-discovery, and spiritual discernment. Centering small, everyday acts of bravery with diverse stories from marginalized communities, Brown’s unique perspective as a Black Buddhist Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition and her extensive leadership experience shepherd us in navigating life’s essential questions to discover true aliveness and meaning. When we focus on cultivating clarity and discernment in our purpose, we begin to understand that we are truly connected to – and that we contribute to – a larger whole.
Written through a period of profound personal loss and in the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement, Brown’s spiritual insight and life- and spirit-tested wisdom offers a new source for anyone seeking hope, and seeking to alleviate suffering within ourselves and our communities.
About the Author(s)
Valerie Brown is a Courage & Renewal® Facilitator prepared by the Center for Courage & Renewal. A consultant and principal of Lead Smart Coaching, LLC, specializing in leadership and mindfulness training, she is a popular retreat leader and author. She has written several books and four Pendle Hill pamphlets, most recently, Coming to Light: Cultivating Spiritual Discernment through the Quaker Clearness Committee (PHP #446). Ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh as a lay member of the Tien Hiep Order, she is also a member of Solebury Monthly Meeting (PA) and a certified yoga instructor.
For more information about Valerie, visit www.leadsmartcoaching.com.
