Remembering Hope

History can teach us so much.  The one thing it can teach us the most is that hope has power.  Throughout our own history there are moments when life wasn't going according to plan. When we had doubt over how a situation would work out.  There are periods of time that we doubt we will ever be happy again.  That life will offer some ray of sunlight behind the emotion we are feeling at any given moment.  However, if we move forward and have hope it always does. 

If we move on to history we again see hope.  In almost every battle there are periods of doubt will we win?  Periods of time when the economy seems to be at its worst.  Then there is a shift and things swing back around to the positive.  Life teaches us if we have hope and move towards that hope there is almost always another path to take.  A new opportunity.  So in moments of doubt, reflect on your history.  Realize that things can always get better if you remain hopeful. 

Silent Hope

Hope can be the sole purpose of an action that we aren’t even aware of; it can be completely silent. Recently I was listening to a high school senior explain her dream career. She had every detail planned out, from the college she would attend to her graduate degree in 5 years, to her intern positions and the first step she would make towards her dream career. Her inspiration was an individual that was a VP at 26 and she had researched his path, his degree program, intern positions, and promotions. He had supplied silent hope.

Have you ever heard about something on the news, in the newspaper, or in a conversation and thought, “I could do that?” It may have been a place to vacation, a promotion, or investment. Have you ever watched someone do something, enter a marathon, change careers, or start their own business and been inspired to considered it for yourself? Buying my first home was a risk I took after an acquaintance who was also a single mom purchased her first home.
People, their stories and life offer silent hope to other people they are not even aware are watching. Individuals witness events, or hear about them and are moved to try something they have only dreamed of and consider a change they may have never considered. Have you ever asked yourself what silent hope your life demonstrates to someone else? What dreams have you inspired? My daughter’s base line for marriage is our close friend’s parents. They embody her dream of what marriage after 50 years is. The love, respect and appreciation they have for each other after all these years instill a hope for a life she wants to have.
We may not be aware, however, our lives are an example of hope to our children, friends, family, and beyond. We buy a new car, redo a room, take a vacation, or get a promotion. These things are examples to others of what is possible. This is silent hope.

When Hope is Needed Most

Hope is needed most when we feel the most hopeless. I got a letter today from an old college friend that I hadn’t heard from in more than 2 years. She had just gone through a bad divorce (is there really any other kind?) and with the stress and pain of it all she had actually gone into a comatose state for 3 days last summer. I can only imagine that kind of pain. I have suffered loss, but not the pain of someone I thought was completely devoted to me choosing to leave. What makes the difference between being able to cope or not? I believe it is hope. Believing in or having a hope in the future being better and that one day merely surviving will turn into thriving is the catalyst to overcoming our toughest trials. Have hope in the future, believe with all your heart in our own abilities to overcome and take their first steps toward making whatever changes in your thinking is necessary.