I found this rock on my visit to Utah a few months ago, in a shop devoted to free trade and empowering local producers all over the world. It has this beautiful word etched into it by hand.
I now work for an amazing organization, Habitat for Humanity, who's motto is 'Building homes. Building hope.' This experience has been enough to warrant a post of it's own!
And a few weeks ago, I attended the Relay for Life all-night fundraiser in our town. It was the culminating night of a campaign to raise money for cancer research; bringing together survivors, families, and an entire community in the celebration of life and the battle against cancer. Though it was a chilly night with drizzly rain that turned into snow by morning, it was a beautiful reminder of all the reasons I have to hope.
At one point, I walked alone around the lake where all the tribute luminaries were lined up along the path. There were hundreds of lights representing hundreds of souls who lost their battles with cancer. My thoughts turned to all the wonderful people I have lost to this impossible, unpredictable disease. I was so full of love for the cancer heroes in my own life, and at the same time, felt so much sorrow and frustration for the injustice of their passing. Cancer is one illness I will never understand, nor will I even try. It simply doesn't make any sense. Young, perfectly heath-conscious people die of cancer everyday while chain smokers of forty years live to be a hundred. It seams to me that cancer is one of God's ways of forcing us to let go and turn to Him. Because no matter how hard we fight, if he decides it's time, it is time, and there is nothing we can do to stop it.
As I looked across the lake, I saw a few luminaries arranged in the form of my theme word. My heart lifted again. I wiped the tears from my eyes and thought back to all the beautiful moments I shared with my best friend, my grandfather, and so many other good people who were taken by cancer. I was overcome with gratitude for them, and for the tiny slice of life I got to share with each one of them. And then I felt an even greater gratitude and love for the life I have been given and the people who are a part of it now.
Life is so fragile and fleeting, and yet I am here, now with all the opportunities and possibilities in the world laying out ahead of me. In spite of all the injustice and pain, that simple and powerful thought fills my heart with HOPE!!
1 comment:
Hope is what makes it. My brother asked me the other day about faith, hope, and charity and which one would be the most beneficial to grow first in order to make the other ones grow, too. My opinion is that hope allows me to grow my faith and extend myself to do charitable things. I agree with you- hope is a very powerful word!
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