Hope is the capacity to dance around corners with a smile on your face. Hope is not an antidote to struggle, hope is what comes out of struggle. After multiple life struggles I say to myself ‘look, I went through this, and I went through that, and I went through that and I survived them all and I shall survive this too'.
It is seeing in myself the ability to cooperate with the universe that is friendly and a Creator who wishes me well. It means I have to bring all my own strength to it but it also means that I have found that strength in me before, I have found the grace and the gift to go ahead and I believe that I will find it now too.
My hope for the future comes from my experience in the past. I really understand that I’m a survivor. I have exercised my adulthood to the point that however stretched it was, it did not break…there is in me the drive to live, and to live well, but most of all the drive to live to the best of myself. Hope is God’s grace today, it’s not a buy-off about tomorrow.
And then, last Thursday I crashed my car. It wasn't my fault and although my car will most likely be written off, I wasn't badly injured. But it was very frightening. Above all though I quickly came to feel fortunate - I have an army of friends who were available for me, and Joan Chittister's eminently timed words were part of making me feel grateful, resilient and hopeful.
(Mind you, next time I hear wise words on overcoming struggle, I'll be keeping my eyes open for the next few days!)
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