Day 5 - 302 -- Power of Hope

Two events this weekend reminded me how fragile life can be. Everything can change in a nanosecond -- or less. People I know are all safe, but were close to major tragedy. How do we begin to understand being so close to being damaged? Does this bring with it feelings of guilt for being ok? Surely, it must bring some recurring panic along with relief. Knowing those who could have had negative outcomes gave me pause -- tears, relief and many unnamed emotions.

All that examining of thoughts reminded me of an interview I'd heard with the author, Mitch Albom. He has a new book that is the closest to being a sequel that he has written -- The Next Person  you Meet in Heaven. He spoke about how the actions of unknown persons can change a situation and alter a life or lives. Often these things make no sense and trying to reconstruct them could drive a person mad. While we may want to stay in our home or somewhere we feel safe, getting back into the world makes the most sense. Retreat isn't the answer -- at least not the long term answer. The word that came back to me over and over was  hope. Hope -- without it where would life be? 

A song that speaks to the concept of hope came to mind in the past few days while pondering. The melody is hauntingly beautiful and the singer's voice unique and magical. The lyrics are filled with visuals of hope and moving forward. Enjoy! 

Rise Up -- Andra Day