It’s the word that keeps people reaching for their goals long after their dreams have died.  It’s the word that inspires people to be kinder to one another and continue to try to make the world a better place to live.  It’s the word that keeps terminally ill patients alive far longer than doctor’s expectations.  It’s the word that guides parents in raising their children.  It’s the word that shines light into the eyes of a child as they attempt to learn a new task.  Without this word, there is no “love” or “faith” or “understanding” or “tolerance”.  This one word is the precursor leading up to all the others.  My favorite four letter word is “Hope”.

This is the time of year that adults reflect on their accomplishments and/or disappointments for the past twelve months and make plans for the upcoming year.  Without hope, there would be no plans, no future, and no goals.  When we no longer have the will to make plans for the future, we have lost hope.  And when we lose hope, a light goes out and the world is robbed of a beautiful spirit.  I polled my Facebook friends about what they thought “hope” meant. Some of the responses were: “take me to the other side”, “not giving up”, one friend sent me a photo of a cancer patient holding a Christmas ornament that said “hope”, but my favorite was “knowing that no matter what you are facing, the best is yet to come”.

God doesn’t make mistakes. We are all here for a reason.  We all have something positive to bring to the world.  So, no matter where you are right now in your life, stay strong and hold on to hope.  Keep the light shining in your spirit and know that the best really is yet to come.