"Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive. If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired."
Erik H. Erikson
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Hope lives in my heart, in my soul, in my spirit and in my beliefs.
It lives in dark corners and cozy hearths.
Hope lives in the bud on a rose bush that is going to burst into flower.
But what is Hope?
I know that wishes and Hopes are not the same thing. A wish is a desire. Hope is essential. Where wishes can fade away, Hope remains.
I struggled for a few days with this thought. I wanted to do it justice and make it poetic and vibrant. I wanted to make it so real that you could reach out and touch it and say "oh yes, this is Hope." But I can't do that. Hope is one thing to me, and something else to another person. Hope is what we carry with us like we might a talisman. Hope is what we believe in the deepest part of ourselves.
The women at (In)Courage have been talking about Hope this month. They are offering a giveaway to tie in with this theme, but I wanted to talk about Hope because of what it means to me, not because of a giveaway. I've been reading others' thoughts on this subject and all hold enlightenment, some despair and many hold joy. Reading these thoughts has reaffirmed for me how personal a virtue and a concept Hope is.
As I struggled yesterday with this I asked for guidance in how to form my thoughts, how to frame and phrase what Hope is for me. As always my request was met with the knowledge that I know the answer to this. I only needed to look into my heart where the truth would be found. Hope need not be flowery or poetic. Hope is none of those things.
I learned the most I know about Hope when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I hadn't realized how deeply a part of my being Hope was until I was put to the test, met with such a challenge, the biggest challenge of my life to date. I hadn't realized how much Hope is stored in my heart and my spirit until I opened the door on some of my darkest days and was greeted with the shimmering, bright light of Hope and knew in the deepest part of who I am that Hope was with me.
As I was listening and hearing the answer to my question I smiled. I was thinking about how Faith is such a large part of my life and I realized that Hope and Faith travel a parallel line in my life. They walk hand in hand or better yet, Faith holds one hand and Hope holds the other as they walk side by side with me.
Faith is believing in what you can't see and what you can't touch. But you believe anyway. Hope is what you do when you want to put your Faith into action.
I was casting about for ways in which to describe what Hope is and where it lives. I hugged myself tightly when my prayer was answered...and I made the connection so vividly in my imagination. Casting was the clue. Hope is really like fishing...I cast out my Hope and it is my Faith that is the rod. With the knowledge that both together will feed me.
*fishing image originally uploaded to flickr by Charlene April 2, 2005
It lives in dark corners and cozy hearths.
Hope lives in the bud on a rose bush that is going to burst into flower.
But what is Hope?
I know that wishes and Hopes are not the same thing. A wish is a desire. Hope is essential. Where wishes can fade away, Hope remains.
I struggled for a few days with this thought. I wanted to do it justice and make it poetic and vibrant. I wanted to make it so real that you could reach out and touch it and say "oh yes, this is Hope." But I can't do that. Hope is one thing to me, and something else to another person. Hope is what we carry with us like we might a talisman. Hope is what we believe in the deepest part of ourselves.
The women at (In)Courage have been talking about Hope this month. They are offering a giveaway to tie in with this theme, but I wanted to talk about Hope because of what it means to me, not because of a giveaway. I've been reading others' thoughts on this subject and all hold enlightenment, some despair and many hold joy. Reading these thoughts has reaffirmed for me how personal a virtue and a concept Hope is.
As I struggled yesterday with this I asked for guidance in how to form my thoughts, how to frame and phrase what Hope is for me. As always my request was met with the knowledge that I know the answer to this. I only needed to look into my heart where the truth would be found. Hope need not be flowery or poetic. Hope is none of those things.
I learned the most I know about Hope when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I hadn't realized how deeply a part of my being Hope was until I was put to the test, met with such a challenge, the biggest challenge of my life to date. I hadn't realized how much Hope is stored in my heart and my spirit until I opened the door on some of my darkest days and was greeted with the shimmering, bright light of Hope and knew in the deepest part of who I am that Hope was with me.
As I was listening and hearing the answer to my question I smiled. I was thinking about how Faith is such a large part of my life and I realized that Hope and Faith travel a parallel line in my life. They walk hand in hand or better yet, Faith holds one hand and Hope holds the other as they walk side by side with me.
Faith is believing in what you can't see and what you can't touch. But you believe anyway. Hope is what you do when you want to put your Faith into action.
I was casting about for ways in which to describe what Hope is and where it lives. I hugged myself tightly when my prayer was answered...and I made the connection so vividly in my imagination. Casting was the clue. Hope is really like fishing...I cast out my Hope and it is my Faith that is the rod. With the knowledge that both together will feed me.
*fishing image originally uploaded to flickr by Charlene April 2, 2005
15 comments:
Your beautifully expressed thoughts and words remind me of a passage from the Bible:
“...faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb.11:1)
This post is beautiful. And bursting with hope! I'm so glad you wrote it. Thanks for digging deep and sharing yourself with us today! Be blessed, my friend!
I love it, and the photos with it too. Hope and faith... Beautiful and to be taken into account every single day... YEs, without hope this life leads nowhere. Let's then hope our Hope grows.
Smiles¨{} :)
Very inspiring and encouraging! Thank you so much, this was just what I needed today!
What wonderful creatures are we to be made of Love, Faith and Hope ! This is so beautifully thought-out and beautifully written, lovely Sherry. I love the image of casting the line...and as I write, I got the idea that maybe LOVE is the fish that we reel in to feed ourselves ? Just beautiful. Thank you for this today.
Big LOVE !
That's beautiful! Thank you for sharing. When you talked about faith and hope walking side by side holding hands, before I read the next sentence, I had this image of you being in the middle. Almost like my 12yo and I when my 14yo needs more support than I can give her alone. Our arms intertwine behind her and support her, propelling her forward.
You did a fantastic job, I was transported.
Beautiful Post and I love the last picture. Thanks so much for your beautiful comment at my blog. You to are an inspiration of hope and faith.
Thank you!
Don't you think you should be writing a little book of daily inspirations? Really, I'm serious! This is so insightful Sherry! Hope is, of course, one of those beautiful things that are so hard to decribe accurately. I would say that hope is the belief that things will be better, that wrongs can be righted. My faith is what feeds my hope:>)
funny, i was thinking about Hope today. trying not to lose track of it when my life becomes compounded, and remembering that is the thing i hang onto, dangling from the cliff.
thanks for helping me jiggle my memory so i can hold on.
Sherry Lee: Your heart is full to bursting with love, hope, faith, and charity. It spills out to "infect" all within your orbit with the same measure. I like coming here to bask for a moment in the light that you offer.
Sherry, what a lovely posting and it filled my heart today :)
Love,
LuLu~*xoxo
Since my war with cancer, I live with Love, Hope and Faith but I also live with Stength xxxx
Beautiful thoughts, Sherry Lee. You have such a way of expressing yourself, so lovely!
BTW, finally found some teal nailpolish ...
beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! love the image of casting, never seen that connection before, and it gave me a new understanding of both hope and fishing :)
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