I’ve never known a feeling, or word more powerful than hope. I’ve seen it fill people with love, excitement, anticipation, and I’ve seen it move mountains for people in their darkest hour.
Best friends with dreams, I’ve seen it chase away fear from my friend dying of cancer right up to end. And I’ve felt it’s strength within me, when I’ve been alone and lost. Even when things have seemed impossible, and the storms and waves of life were never ending; it was hope that carried me to shore.
It has lived inside of me, through good times and bad, and been my beacon of light when all the odds were against me. And when hope was overcome with defeat, the memory of hope prevailed. The beauty of a dream that never came to be, a boy who never grew up, but the memory of how lovely it was to have such a dream, to know hope was still there and how it once felt.
I hope I’ll see him again, I hope I get the job, I hope they like me, I hope we can be friends, I hope they will make it, I hope I see you grow up, I hope the results are good, I hope tomorrow will be easier, I hope we will meet again, in this life or the next.
Hope is so easy to give away, it doesn’t need to be wrapped in a box with a bow, hope can simply be you, your story and sometimes your story to others, is what brings hope to them.
I’ve seen the most beautiful light come from hope, from people sharing their struggles together, and how they overcame them, how they made it – giving others hope and light. If you can do it, so can I.
I’ve seen hope slide into the cracks of doubt, dispel the myths and laugh in the faith of adversity and realism. Hope knows about the lucky ones, the ones who got their break, the ones who made it against their odds, the ones who took 1% chance and ran with it. The ones who defied expectations, the trailblazers, who pave the way for us all; saying, you can, you will, you can be, of course, don’t give up, reach for the stars, dream those dreams a size too big so you can grow into them.
Hope, so pure and free, which lives its life, glowing in delight with joy, dreams, love and inspiration, mixing its time with pride, purpose and care. Gaining strength with everyone it touches, whispering, spread the word, it might just work, tomorrow will be better, it isn’t the end.
Hope has helped me with grief, with drive, it has made the impossible seem possible and in truth, it has never truly let me down; because when things have seemed hopeless, hope shines a light on a new road, sometimes a way back, and sometimes a way forward.
Hope lives in the innocence of children, in the wisdom of the old, in the here and now. It’s a gift we keep and can give away so freely, but more valuable than all the gold in the world. In our prayers, it finds its place, offering it out to others, but remembering it is also ours to keep.
It is yours and yours alone and when people and life have tried to rob me of hope, it grew in abundance, ready to fight back and say, I’m not yours to take. I don’t belong to you, I can’t be stolen, nor squashed, nor blown away. I won’t lay down, I who am never-ending, I who am all time, and although I may not be physical, I can see a future, I can feel a need, I can hear a voice, I can smell a memory, I am as old as time itself and as real as you and me.
Hope for me has changed with time, what I hope for, what I need, what I hope for others, and as each year passes, my hope is often for others; I hope she is happy, I hope she is healthy, I hope my daughter lives a life of love and laughter. I hope she finds her strength if she becomes lost, I hope she hears the applaud of her achievements, louder than the words that do not matter. I hope she knows how she has the power to turn a curse into a blessing and use moments of defeat to live another day, bigger and brighter.
But I still have hope left inside of me, which is mine and mine alone. My pipe dreams, my childhood dreams, my hope for magical moments, for new adventure, and more often than not now, my hope for more time to enjoy it all. Time to appreciate the world that has been gifted to us, so that we may enjoy the blessing of hope.
We all have hope by our side, and in our heart, if we can have the courage to hold on to it, and dare to dream, no matter how young, no matter how old, no matter how helpless, or hopeless things can seem. Sintija showed me that.
So, I hope you have hope, I hope you can help someone you love, find their way back to hope if they have lost their way, I hope you know that hope is no more foolish than life itself, I hope you see, the beauty and power in hope, that is all around you. I hope…
...
Last week, my beautiful friend lost her battle with breast cancer. She had hope and kindness until the end. This story is for her. This story is for Sintija and all the other people out there, that need a little reminder, that hope is a gift we give to ourselves. That even in the darkest of moments, hope can guide us through.