“The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun” are the opening lyrics from the song “Tomorrow,” a song in the popular musical “Annie.” It has lived through the decades as an anthem of positivity and relentless hope.

Set during the Great Depression, the musical is a tribute to optimism and the art of resilience during life’s difficult trials.

The song's theme references perseverance in the face of adversity. Like my beloved mother-in-law always said, “Nothing is so good or so bad that it lasts forever.”

The song continues describing the endless tomorrows that await. It is an uplifting message that many people carry through during difficult times.

It has been said that few songs have so well defined our hunger to believe that “Gray skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face” or “Just what makes that little old ant, think he’ll move that rubber tree plant…but he’s got high hopes,” as another optimistic song claims.

Isn’t it our deep-seated desire that those grey skies in our life will clear up, that keeps us going? I recently went to see the musical “Annie” with my dear friends Marion Lisotto, Debbie and Craig Higgins.

I smiled all the way through the touching, warm-hearted classic. After I got home from the play, I thought a great deal about its message. In our world today, the message of optimism could be a massive dose of faith that “we shall overcome.” Everywhere we look there is something to worry about.

The threat of destruction from climate change has many of us concerned about what tomorrow may bring. We learn of water shortages and wonder, “Will there be enough water for tomorrow?” We read new information that suggests AI may be too smart for our own good, while some experts predict that AI might destroy all humanity within the decade. Many fear what tomorrow may bring.

With all the turmoil in the political climate, many fear what the elections this November may bring and want time to slow down.

It can be easy to feel anxious during these trying times, and you might want to grab a huge box of chocolates and have someone wake you when it’s over; whatever your “over” is. It seems like a great time to grow a shield of hope to help confront our fears.

Past presidents have given us glib lines such as “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” Perhaps it would be more helpful to concoct a mixture of awareness, advocacy, balance, optimism, hope and faith.

Those words about facing tomorrow can be met differently depending on where your life is at the moment.

People who are awaiting test results may fear what they will learn tomorrow.

Tomorrow can bring us good new beginnings, or sad aftermaths and endings.

Tomorrow may be seen as the start of a new frontier or the ending of the known and secure.

Tomorrow may be a wedding day filled with hope or the day of a divorce decree and a tomorrow of uncertainty.

We may stay up late and dance like there will be no tomorrow, or dread the rising of the sun and have to face the morning after. Tomorrows are a good reason that we need to cultivate empathy for others, because none of us fully understand what a tomorrow may mean to someone else. Tomorrows may be a great reason to celebrate as well as a good reason to be compassionate or patient.

Two important reasons to learn to be more empathetic are highlighted this month of September. They greatly resonate with me personally.

September is World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. I doubt that there are many people out there who have not been touched by this heartbreaking disease or at least know someone who has.

This month tries to highlight greater awareness of the challenges and pain that come from this range of Alzheimer’s and dementia related diseases. It strives to inform, offer resources, help to fund needed resources and research, as well as challenge the stigma often connected with these conditions. It also hopes to develop more compassion for those affected by the disease as well as reach out to support the caregivers.

As many of my readers know, my mother had Alzheimer’s, and I was her caregiver. I know firsthand the painful struggle that it was for both of us. For 28 years I led the Los Banos Support Group, and it remains one of the areas I am most concerned about.

For patients with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, tomorrows can seem very difficult as we wait for new treatment to end this disease. If you are a caregiver or have Alzheimer’s, do not try to deal with this alone.

Reach out. Call the Alzheimer’s Association for information or available resources. Go to your library and ask for help finding books, of which there are many, to help you travel this maze. Keep knocking on doors; there are those who want to help. I am considering starting Zoom meetings for those who need an ear, if there is an interest.

September is also Suicide Awareness Month. Oh, talk about the challenge of tomorrow. It may be impossible for many of you to understand why some people, even our youth, believe they cannot face another tomorrow when the rest of us are striving to have as many tomorrows as we can possibly collect.

That is one of the goals of this month, which seeks to raise awareness of the problem, warning signs, the reduction of stigma for those who survive their attempts, and to help people connect with resources.

We need to try to change the narrative of suicide by encouraging open, compassionate conversation and systemic improvements in mental health and counseling.

There is currently a desperate need for more counselors in our schools. As cuts continue in our school system, one area repeatedly cut is the counseling departments. These people can be lifesavers. We want to make sure our children have endless tomorrows. When we are young, we often do not have the wisdom to understand that the sun will come out tomorrow.

Common warning signs can be talking about wanting to die, feeling hopeless or trapped, becoming withdrawn, extreme mood swings, giving away one’s possessions, increased substance abuse and researching ways to die. These are not all signs, but a start to know what to look for.

This is another subject that is deeply personal to me, and not one easy for me to share. I went through a long, horrible time in my youth. I was depressed and felt hopeless and had no one to talk with, or so I believed, anyway.

I tried desperately to get my mother’s attention, leaving her notes saying HELP me, finally, the idea of another tomorrow seemed too much to face, and I tried to kill myself. I was thirteen.

Since I am writing this, it is obvious I was not successful. It was a long way back for me, but it taught me about compassion and the fact that none of us really know what is happening in another’s life.

I am forever grateful that I had another tomorrow and wake up grateful each morning for the gift of another 24 hours to unwrap. If you notice something in a person’s behavior, reach out with care.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, with our joined efforts, may there be a rising sun for everyone tomorrow.