Hope is My Middle Name

Hope

by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune--without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

HOPE. It is my middle name. Literally. But what is HOPE? There are some things that we pray won't ever touch our lives. There are some things we just don't every think would impact our lives. Whether it be drug addiction, cancer, mental illness, suicide, the death of a child... And yet, they happen all around us. Everyday. And impact people we know, care about, love. How do we survive? Simply...HOPE. HOPE allows us to look at the next day. To see beyond the dark clouds blocking the sun. HOPE allows us to have faith. Faith to know that God will take care of us and help us through the most difficult times.

I know...a very serious post following "For the Love of Doodlebops" but it has been a serious week. Three friends of mine are dealing with three very different issues, but all needing prayers and most of all HOPE. One is dealing with a close friend who attempted suicide this past weekend. One is dealing with drug addiction of a family member. One is dealing with the devastating news that the baby she is carrying has a chromosomal disorder that is incompatible with life and this baby will most likely die within the first month of life. I can not even imagine what all three are going through. Facing difficult decisions and dealing with fear of the unknown and uncontrollable. It definitely puts my minor "problems" in perspective.
HOPE. It asks nothing from us. Please pray for my three friends and their circumstances and pray that they may have HOPE to overcome the past and look towards the future.