Hello to all, Hello to myself,

Today’s thought is on hope.

(I am going to make reference to christianity in the following writing, I am not trying to write about religion.  So I hope not to offend anyone or deter them from reading what I write.  If the context or content of any religion is in my thoughts, then I will share my thoughts without an agenda or judgement… just contemplation based upon my simple understandings and impressions in the mind.)

I am a member of a local church.  My family and I attend Sunday services on a regular basis.  Today is the first Sunday of Advent in Christianity.  The topic of today’s sermon was ‘hope’.  It was an interesting interpretation of the definition of hope.  The essence of the pastor’s interpretation was that real hope is not a blind faith in the longing for a desired outcome.  And, it is not a passive belief that is simply repeated in prayer.  It is an active thing that results from the space left after an effort/struggle to bring about change.

It made think about the different ways that I engage with hope in my life…  I hope for a weird variety of things…

I hope for longevity of live, I hope for good health and well being of myself and loved ones, I hope for safety and good fortune, I hope for peace, I hope for the end of many pains in society, I hope for my children to have long and blessed lives, I hope that I will be a good husband and father, I hope to live a life of purpose and value to others, I hope to grow in understanding, I hope to exist more deeply in peace, joy, and love.

In context of today’s lesson in hope.  I have great hope in all that I hope for.  As I know I can actively participate in creating the space for hope to transform my life.  I don’t want to wish for these things and then check in later to see if they came to fruition.  I can provide the effort and struggle against whatever resistance to allow hope to shine through the cracks.  I know that those cracks, those wedges will turn into whatever space is needed.

On a goofy and personal side-note…. I hope for simple things as well…  Example:  I hope that my favorite teams will win the game.  FYI, my oldest son and I watch our favorite NFL team with great passion every week.  It is a kind of family affair, we usually get everyone together and dress in our team paraphernalia and eat special treats.  Our hope for a victory was unmet during today’s game.  For me, this loss does linger on my mind for a short while.  But, the day is done and we will then turn that specific hope towards a win next week.  I know this is superficial and one could rationally say that attaching yourself or happiness to a sports team and the performance results of that entity is of no true value.  I don’t fundamentally disagree, but I see value in sharing time and emotions with my family.  I see the value of letting my children know that it is just a game.  Win or lose, we are happy to bond, to cheer, to woe, to unite together.  The event, the sport, the team is a platform that creates opportunities for connectedness that I truly cherish.  That said, I think I will stop hoping for wins, as there is no action on my behalf that can bring about change… so from now on I will just wish for a win!

Please don’t think that I am riding on a rainbow of optimism, I have plenty of fear and doubt in my life.  But, today my thoughts are on hope.

I am hopeful for so much.  Now, I just need to provide the effort.

Thank you for being, Michael.