Monday, February 16, 2009

For the First Time: When Hope is Gone and Faith is Not Enough

Having put off writing this post for months now, it's time to bite the bullet and begin. It's interesting to be a mid boomer in this day and age. I remember when the world was shocked by the Newlywed Game because , as comedian David Steinberg noted in one of his routines at the time, a couple was willing to tell their innermost secrets on national television for a set of Samsonite Luggage.



Yet here we are in the age of reality TV choosing between The Bachelor or the Amazing Race. And I , having to confess on the webernet I fully intend to watch both of them to their conclusion and am embarrassed to have gotten caught up in it all.



Thus it is, I'm torn between the desire to offer people real encouragement in these difficult times via the no-boundaries, techno-communication dynasty, or keeping my privacy. But these are hard times. And even one voice more to offer Hope is needed in a time when so many are clinging to the days by a thread that feels like it is breaking twine by twine.



I just want to tell you... there's always Hope. You just have to believe it. Maybe you are going through a terrible medical, financial or family crisis right now.



I've been there. And I can tell you for sure, it's never as bad as it seems and it always turns out better than you think it will.



There's always Hope.



Maybe you've just lost a job or a loved one or your home or a pet or all of it at the same time.

I've been there. I can tell you time will pass and the pain will become more dull and you will function better. There is always Hope.

Cling to the fantasy of something better. Losses are lived around, or in spite, of or through whatever or whoever is not there anymore. Maybe the hole doesn't close. If it's someone you love that you lost, maybe the hole isn't supposed to close. If it's a thing or an experience, maybe it's gone forever.



But there is always Hope.



Just keep going through the motions of life as best you can. Just keep dreaming of what things would look like if you were in a better situation. Just keep working hard at all you can do as much as you can do.



There is always Hope. Breath that truth in. Hope is telling the odds to go take a hike.



Be there for yourself.



And Hope. Yes, it may be all you have. And it is enough to hold you up until the tide turns.

Blessings and Cheer

Love

Deborah