Hope for the Hopeless

Sunday Feb. 9th, 2014

 We've all heard the phrase "wish upon a star"  while this is a fun and entertaining, forget about it.  If you really want to have all your dreams come true, you need to hold on to HOPE.

HOPE matters, HOPE is a choice.  HOPE can be learned, and HOPE can be shared with other people.
Every time I need to be at Mayo Hospital, I take time to talk to those who are suffering with cancer.  I've been trying to spread HOPE for those who do not understand what it means to have HOPE. they feel hopeless and lonely.

When I meet these people, it breaks my heart to hear them say "I have no future, I have so much I wanted to do in life"  I usually tell them how we think about our future--how we hope--determines how well we live our lives.  Many times when I have been in the desperation of needing some type of HOPE I will kneel and pray for guidance and comfort.  I have found that hope is not just being optimistic.  Optimism is really just an attitude.  Hope on the other hand, is belief plus action. You're hopeful, if you believe in your future and if you believe that future is going to be better than the present, and that you have the power to make it happen.

There have been many times when I have had to force my brain to actually see myself healed and happy.  This takes great power of the mind, but can be learned.  Hopes are sustainable, wishes are not.

Does Hope lead to happiness?  Not by itself, but it is hard to be happy without it.  One of the ways I have decided to hold on to that Hope is to surround myself with people who are positive about life, who take "hard to do" things and actually accomplish the unthinkable.  

Winston Churchill said: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give"