The Power and Promise of Hope
“Nothing’s so Sacred as Honor and Nothing’s So Loyal as Love.” Wyatt Earp (1848-1929)
How many people have lived and died since humankind first walked on earth? Why do we know the names and stories of some while others have slipped away unnoticed? Why isn’t every life remembered?
“We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.” (Sir Winston Churchill)A young woman I know lost her sister to suicide. There was no indication life had taken such a complete turnaround, a turnaround that was unbearable.
The family was crushed in their grief. Sorrow was their only companion.
This tree design is carved on the tombstone of some unknown individual. They dream no more. Was their hope ended too?
Perhaps we can’t agree on the origin or value of hope, but even the most jaded members of humankind dream. We dream because we wish to possess, capture or covet some outcome – success, happiness, riches, admiration, love, power, just to suggest a few. Dreams release us for a time from the reality in which we find ourselves.
He lived an imperfect life. That led him to find a noble purpose, a purpose for which he would give his life. This kind of personal transformation can be the basis for hope even in the life of an imperfect, rebellious individual. Where we begin our life’s journey and where it ends offers each of us time in which to grow and in which to find a purpose, a noble purpose.
That belief began to work in me when I was just a child. I heard a scripture written by a follower of Jesus. That follower was going blind. He would be jailed for his faith, he would suffer greatly, and he would be left to die alone. That man died not knowing how important his words and the witness of his life would become.
Thomas Fuller (1608-1661)
I chose this particular quote because I am intrigued by the writer’s use of the plural form of the noun hope. So often hope is defined as a single concept. In fact, our lives are full of many hopes, hopes that comfort us when our hearts are breaking or hopes that sustain us even when our hearts and our bodies are just plain worn out from the struggles we experience in our daily living.
“The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.” – Marcus AureliusThis is the third and final post in my series concerning the topic of finding hope. Originally, I was going to end this series with a call to action, calling leadership at all levels of community, to provide all people with good reasons to hope. In a sense, I was going to ask you all to call upon our leaders to provide and institute actions that would solve the problems that I discussed in the second installment of this series.
Continue reading “Finding Hope One Step At A Time – Step Three”
About the time I hit my stride, it was, regrettably, time to retire. It might have been an easier transition if I had not had to contend with unexpected multiple back surgeries and unanticipated struggles with mobility and balance. Not only did my body stop functioning in a manner to which I had grown quite accustomed, but my thinking process, my day to day reason for being, suddenly offered me no direction in which to proceed.
Most every day I hear from former church members (remember if you will that I was a pastor in my last life) who still seek my advice, not as their pastor, but as someone they can turn to who they trust. That trust is important to me. The overriding reason I would like to blog is to offer a safe place for folks to ask and answer questions and to read the questions and answers of others. I realize that some folks would prefer anonymity. That will be an issue of importance to me as I plan the blog’s functionality. I would imagine that in the beginning, till folks figure out the mechanics of the blog and experience the exchange of questions and answers, I will blog on general topics I know from past experience are concerns most folks encounter. I would hope to provide resources and links to other sites I know that offer specific assistance for issues outside of my comfort zone or expertise. So, my blog would also serve as a clearinghouse of sorts. In short, I want to blog to maintain the relationships I have built over the years and hopefully, as word gets out, to attract new folks to a safe place where people’s questions will be handled with care and compassion.
Also since I was a teacher, coach, and administrator in several schools in yet another life, the same things hold true for former students as they do with former church members. Former students write, email and call and I would hope they too might take advantage of a blogsite to connect with me and other students.
I feel energy vibrations. I can walk into a house and know within five minutes if it is a safe house or a house that is quietly whispering “get out.” And if I hear “get out,” I linger. I have experienced that the voices aren’t there to overwhelm or harm me, the energy is not there as good or bad, but it is there to act like a cattle prod to shock me into confronting a place I would rather avoid.
I also feel the energy of places, the subtle vortexes that throw me off balance. Walking in the woods or on a mountain trail, my feet fail me and I stagger to retain my balance. Then I sit and meditate at that spot. The energy possesses me and clarity opens up my imagination. From the top of my head to the soles of my feet, I vibrate in rhythm to the heartbeat of heaven.
Words don’t work as teachers. Words are so considered and so measured that any real meaning or impact those words might have has been sanitized out even before they leave the lips. Today we call that politically correct speech. In my grandfather’s day, words followed the rule, “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Words have failed us.
But the subtle energy that doesn’t ask us for permission to speak but nevertheless floods us with invitations and opportunities to grapple with the unknown, that teacher doesn’t give a damn about being correct, just a reflection of stark reality.
I have grown comfortable with wordless communication, with the sharing of energy. Right now, go outside and feel the breeze or the heat or the cold. I am there calling your name, drawing you into a new reality.
This is an 11 minute video of a talk Pema Chondron has given. It suggests how we might get unstuck. This is another way that hope and confidence in oneself can be of great value as we struggle along.