Perpetual Hope

 Time to light the candle of Hope.

That concept has great meaning in my life.  

*More than 20 years ago I loved participating in the Hope Fund. I wrote a story about a woman whose life had become very difficult because she was a victim of MS.  The story (which was published in the Florida Times-Union that year)  was a part of my final communications class before I got my degree from UNF.

*About 15 years ago when my granddaughter Allie was in the early diagnosis of  ITP (an auto-immune disorder where her blood does not make enough platelets), my daughter and her husband founded Clouds of Hope.  Eventually, that organization provided funds for several playgrounds with safe equipment to be built in the Tampa area.  

*And then there was . . .  “You give me hope”

I don’t know when words like that have touched me so greatly.  My friend has experienced a great loss.  One of my "gifts" is walking alongside someone who has had that kind of experience and helping them as they find hope. 

The timing for those words was important because I was just putting together my Advent wreath and when I was already thinking so much about hope as I prepared for our Wonder Women Bible Study that would focus on  Advent.

 I had read these words in one of the studies that I am using:

 “This is Christmas.  The season of perpetual hope”.  That’s actually a quote from the holiday movie Home Alone.   I actually never have seen that movie.  Love Actually is more my type.  I can't tell you the number of times I've seen that one.

 I digress.

Webster says that hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; a person or thing that might help or save someone.

That feeling of expectation and desire is a good way to feel.  Sometimes when we are feeling that way we get a little impatient.  But it is important to understand that hope is about promise.  In a time long ago, young women had something called a hope chest.  A cedar chest, lined with fragranced linens would hold items a bride would need to begin life as a wife.  I doubt any of us know anyone who still has a hope chest.

However, that concept – preparing for the future is one that is worthy of its inclusion in our lives.

The hope candle is also known as the prophecy candle.  The scripture that tells the story of God’s promise to Abram is prophecy.  God was promising what was to become.  And we know that promise did come true.  There is a great nation, the nation of Israel, and into that nation was born a Savior.

The Bible contains numerous verses that focus on hope – it’s the evidence of things not seen; Christ is our hope; God promises us a hope and a future.  (Hebrews 11:1;  Colossians 1:27; Jeremiah 29:11).

Hope is more than expectation. 

It is trust – and that trust should be in God. 

I heard recently that the greatest cause for suicide is when a person has lost hope.  Sad? Yes.  And in truth, we cannot live without hope.  But we have hope and that hope is an anchor firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19) that we can claim as our own.

I am thrilled to be a person who offers hope.  I know, however, that I can only offer it because I have hope – that is trust – in the same God who promised Abram that he would be the Father of a great nation. And that nation is the one from whom Jesus would be born.  

Another favorite movie of mine is “The Sound of Music”.  When the captain and Maria have their realization moment in the gazebo and Maria is asked about her feelings, her answer goes from “I hope so” to “I know so”.

That’s what hope is supposed to do for us.  After waiting in expectation, when the fulfillment of our hopes or dreams comes to pass. . .”  then we know!

Thanks be to God for His great gift!

May your life have enough sunshine

so that  you will appreciate the shadows 

So . . .you like red???

You might call it a rite of passage.  That sort of thing usually happens before one is 74 years of age.

I'm happily sporting a new jacket.

The fun part of the jacket is that it was a dress, a hand-me-down from my friend,  Jean Gilmore.  It's a heavy wool jacket and when it was a dress I may not have been able to wear it more than once so I was delighted when the idea to have it repurposed came into my head.

It's a jacket, not a full-length coat.  It's wool, not suede.

And yet it reminds me of the time that I was headed to college in Tennessee and my mother purchased me a beautiful suede coat.  It was red.

I hated it!

Fast forward many years.

My mother doesn't like the color red.  And what she really doesn't like (or didn't when she was quick to give an opinion) is when I wear red.

How does that happen?  How does "I don't like that" when a person is a child or young adult become something that is a favorite in later years.  And did I not like that suede coat that I took to college as a form of rebellion?  

I've only recently identified that to be a possibility.

For the longest time, I cringed when I felt that my mother was being critical of me when I was wearing red.  Somehow she has begun to feel that red is an angry color.  And she never wanted me to look angry.  Truth be told she really never wanted me to act angry, but that's a different story.

There was a time, really not so long ago, when I would shy away from wearing red when I was going to see my mother.  However, I've finally determined that my mother and I do not have to agree on everything in order to have a good relationship.  Mothers and daughters are allowed to have different tastes and even ideals.

I've been a mother of a daughter for almost 50 years.  We do not agree on everything.  Fortunately for both Becca and her sister, Renee I learned that earlier.  I believe that it is totally acceptable for them not to think just like me.  In fact, I celebrate it.    

I'm pretty sure I'll wear my red jacket when I visit my mother soon. I'll let you know what she says.