"hope is the last thing ever lost"

 

Two days ago, we awoke to thick, low clouds, to ground fog, and a light mist. It was a dismal, gloomy start to the day, and it discouraged me from getting a walk in...until like magic, the clouds disappeared. Suddenly we were treated to clear blue skies, sunshine, and warmth. My reluctance to get outside quickly morphed into enthusiasm. The same thing happened yesterday. It was cloudy again, windy, and twenty degrees colder than the day before...but I didn't let it discourage me. Sure enough, by the time I tied my sneakers and donned a light jacket, the sky turned blue and the sun invited me outdoors. 

It occurred to me that this is the perfect metaphor for the course of our lives. 

"The only constant in life
is change."

~Heraclitus~

One day things seem to be going along just fine. You're all caught up with the laundry, your bills are paid, and your kids are healthy and happy...and then, in a heartbeat, everything changes, the way they changed for so many this week. For the parents who lost their children to senseless gun violence in Oregon. For families who lost everything in the floods and wildfires out West. For anyone hearing the word "cancer" from their doctor for the first time. Will the sun ever shine for them again?

Perhaps.

Maybe someone will share a memory that brings a smile to the lips of the person who is grieving. Perhaps cleanup and rebuilding has already begun. Hopefully, treatment will be successful. 

"And from the midst of cheerless gloom

I passed to a bright unclouded sky."

~Emily Bronte~

Life unfolds from day to day in unexpected ways. Some we welcome. Some bring us to tears. Our efforts to sustain a modicum of hope may be all we have to get us through. Hope that things will get better. Hope that we will survive. Hope that the strength and support we need will arrive in time. Hope that the clouds will pass and sunny skies will reappear.

"Hope is the last thing ever lost."

~Italian Proverb~

This morning, the skies are clear and the sun is shining brightly,

even though rain may be in the forecast for some of you.

jan