My take on the nature of hope
Advent, 2014 Nov30
(with gratitude to Krista Tippett and songwriter Carrie Newcomer)
The poet called it gritty!
The nature of hope, she said, is its willingness
To hang in for the long haul;
To cross thresholds of fear, disappointment, and regret
and still persist in offering the world a kinder vision of itself.
Day after day, disappointment after disappointment, to stay the course.
This indeed is hope!
Yes, wishful thinking plays a part, but gritty hope demands a certain courage.
A determination if you will that your hope counts.
That it will not fall silent, that it too will make a difference, as long as you stay faithful to possibilities not yet created.
This is the hope I strive for; a hope that clings to life for the sheer joy of it. A hope that will make something of itself and in that making, return to the world a light once lost; now eternally viewable.
Gritty Hope 