Reason to Hope

I like the word hope.
I like the way it sounds when you exhale it. It breathes.
I like what the word stands for. With hope, there is a possibility of something good.

Hope is not a trivial thing. Hope has power behind it. It’s stronger than a wish. It’s stronger than a desire. Hope has hunger in it.

I could say, “I hope I get my article about rain written today.” There actually might be a chance of that happening, if I settle down and focus, do a phone interview, and use my left brain to explain what I have learned about rainfall.

But I would be misusing the word hope if I said that. What I would really mean is that I wish I could focus on my article and get it done, I plan to do that, I intend to, I want to, I’d like to…

Hope is a passion. You have a fervent need to believe that something will prevail.

I hope God will release my frail old mother from the clutches of dementia before it robs her of her dignity.

I hope the world doesn’t turn its back on Haiti because it’s tired of helping.

I hope my experience, strength, and hope can help another human being.

In the 12-Step program I’m a member of, we are told to share our experience, strength, and hope with each other, that we might solve our common problem and help others to recover from a seemingly hopeless state.

Hope is the flame of a candle burning in the darkness. I have hope today. I fervently believe it’s possible for human beings to unite in a common cause, to work together for the benefit of someone in need.

I hunger for the possibility that we’re bigger than a bunch of egos that only want to be looking out for Number One.

I want, with all that is within me, to discover that our humanity, our ability to help each other, is what matters in the end to the man and woman on the street.

Even though people in my 12-Step group are in the midst of a bitter dispute, even though my mother grows more frail and confused by the week, even though Haiti has been dropped from my newspaper, hope is a candle, burning bright.

What do you passionately hope for?

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"Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Robert Kennedy