HOPE for Others
My first memory of hoping for something for Christmas actually was when I hoped for something for two of my sisters - Maureen and Maria. I was probably around 6 or 7 and they were 12 or 13 - I could be off a little on my years. Anyway - I hoped and asked Santa for ten-speed bikes for them. I wanted them to be teal colored - because the Miami Dolphins colors were so pretty and I thought teal was the prettiest color I had ever seen. I don't know why it was so important to me that they go those bikes, but I hoped and hoped that they'd find them on Christmas morning. We woke up and ... no bikes. I was so sad for them. Until a little while later, Santa, with his whimsical nature hid those bikes in the hallway. They weren't teal, they were gold but I was so happy for them. Although there were many Christmases after that, there are precious few of my own gifts that I really remember (other than my 12-string guitar) that made me as excited as I was for Maureen and Maria getting those bikes. It is a memory that has stuck with me for decades. I don't even know if they were as moved by that Christmas, but I was. I hoped and it happened.
I find that hope for others is more powerful than hope for myself. I have hoped and been disappointed and I've hoped and been thrilled but my most thrilling moments are those moments that hope was realized for another person. My most devastating realizations are when hope for others does not turn out the way I wanted.
I hoped beyond measure that my mother would be cured of cancer after we had gone to Medugorje, Yugoslavia. She was not and I was heartbroken. However, our trip healed my father, my mother and I in ways I couldn't have imagined. Her time here was over and we had no alternative but to accept that. We received a gift of hope from that trip though that got us through in peace and allowed us to let my mom go knowing that she would be in Jesus' arms.
Years later, I hoped and prayed with a fervency I never felt before when my daughter contracted meningitis. The doctors told me that she could die from it and we wouldn't know which way it would go until she either died or got better. I cannot express the joy I felt when that hope was realized and she opened her tiny eyes and smiled at the Pooh bear stuffed animal we poked through her crib. She's now a beautiful, intelligent, caring young woman who was blessed so abundantly at such a young age.
These days, my hopes are still strong for my cousin Gregory who is incarcerated and has been for most of our lives. He's only a little younger than me and went down a wrong path when we were young. His sister started a campaign called Project Pardon and sent out HOPE shirts for all who helped further his petition for a pardon. In September, our hope was tested. After several positive signs for pardon, his petition was temporarily denied. His family was quick to point out that it wasn't a no. He is still eligible for another hearing in three more years. This journey of Hope has brought us many new friends who have joined this cause and has reconnected some of our family. We are still holding that candle of HOPE high and we rely on each other to keep it lit - even when the wind tries to blow it out.
My hope is for peace and healing for all who are suffering right now. For those who are facing the holidays who have lost a loved one this year, those struggling with addiction, those who are lonely and most importantly, those who have lost hope. I HOPE they find their HOPE again.
I find that hope for others is more powerful than hope for myself. I have hoped and been disappointed and I've hoped and been thrilled but my most thrilling moments are those moments that hope was realized for another person. My most devastating realizations are when hope for others does not turn out the way I wanted.
I hoped beyond measure that my mother would be cured of cancer after we had gone to Medugorje, Yugoslavia. She was not and I was heartbroken. However, our trip healed my father, my mother and I in ways I couldn't have imagined. Her time here was over and we had no alternative but to accept that. We received a gift of hope from that trip though that got us through in peace and allowed us to let my mom go knowing that she would be in Jesus' arms.
Years later, I hoped and prayed with a fervency I never felt before when my daughter contracted meningitis. The doctors told me that she could die from it and we wouldn't know which way it would go until she either died or got better. I cannot express the joy I felt when that hope was realized and she opened her tiny eyes and smiled at the Pooh bear stuffed animal we poked through her crib. She's now a beautiful, intelligent, caring young woman who was blessed so abundantly at such a young age.
These days, my hopes are still strong for my cousin Gregory who is incarcerated and has been for most of our lives. He's only a little younger than me and went down a wrong path when we were young. His sister started a campaign called Project Pardon and sent out HOPE shirts for all who helped further his petition for a pardon. In September, our hope was tested. After several positive signs for pardon, his petition was temporarily denied. His family was quick to point out that it wasn't a no. He is still eligible for another hearing in three more years. This journey of Hope has brought us many new friends who have joined this cause and has reconnected some of our family. We are still holding that candle of HOPE high and we rely on each other to keep it lit - even when the wind tries to blow it out.
My hope is for peace and healing for all who are suffering right now. For those who are facing the holidays who have lost a loved one this year, those struggling with addiction, those who are lonely and most importantly, those who have lost hope. I HOPE they find their HOPE again.
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