Hope

Hope feels good. And this week of each year, I focus on hope. It’s an odd week because in the midst of what is always a busy holiday season (even this year as we prepare for a just the 4 of us Christmas), it is also my son’s birthday on Friday. Seven years ago Friday, he joined our world and changed it in all the best ways forever. I remember this week seven years ago as a week of hope, hope that he would arrive safely and soon (he was very comfy apparently and gave me 26 hours of super special labor lol), hope that he would be healthy, hope that we would be good parents.  Lots of hope. In the years that have followed, this week is still all about hope for me. One year it was the hope that my flu would pass son so I could celebrate Christmas with my family. The next year it was the hope that I could make it up to everyone for basically sleeping through the holidays because the flu kicked my butt.

This week also marks eight years since 28 lives were ripped from our world because of senseless gun violence. 20 six and seven year olds went to school eight years ago this week and never came home. 6 educators went to work and never came home. Our children practice active shooter drills a couple times a year at school because of this week eight years ago. We vowed to change our priorities from freely allowing basically any living breathing adult human to have gun and focus on protecting our children and each other. We’ve failed at that again and again over the last eight years. But there is hope. There are concrete plans that we can enact actual gun control measures that make sense coupled with robust mental health services. We can do this. Hope remains.

And then came last year. Last year this week, one of the teachers at our beloved preschool passed away suddenly. She was young and vibrant and lit up every room with infectious laughter. This week last year was filled with hope that her family would be okay. Hope that her three children and husband would find peace in an unimaginable storm. Hope that her kids would still get to experience some of the magic of this season. This week reminds me every year how precious life is, but last year truly brought it into focus. So today as you go about what is assuredly hustle and bustle, even if completely from home, I ask that you try your best to keep hope in your heart.

I cannot imagine the grief and loss this year brought for so many. And I know this winter will continue to bring more loss before we are all able to vaccinate. But I have hope. If nothing else, I look at the almost seven year old that I get to hang out with every day and see the possibilities before him. I see his kind heart and giant capacity for empathy and soak in so much hope. I play on repeat “Someday at Christmas” (the Stevie Wonder and Andra Day version, because no shade to Stevie, but Andra Day just makes everything better). I feel hope. 

Side note: if you need hope in the form of song, “Someday at Christmas” is for you. The songwriter soaked all the hope up when he wrote it and beautifully sent it back out for all of us to enjoy. If you listen to the words, really listen to them, you can’t help but feel hope. Written in 1966 in the midst of the Civil Rights movement by a former Marine turned song writer, it’s a really special song. Also, we should thank Barry Gordy for it because he discovered the songwriter and brought him in to work at Motown where he also wrote the song “For Once in My Life”. Hi, I’m Mary, and I have in fact seen all the Behind the Music episodes from the late 80s and the entirety of the 90s. Welcome to my love of music and the stories behind the music.

We have an endless abundance of work to do as a country. In our hearts, our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, and our states. It will continue to be hard, but those of us who are fortunate to have far more than we need and plenty to give must use that tremendous privilege to give. To feel the grief and pain of others and give what we are able to so that perhaps we can be someone’s hope in the midst of the storm. We must teach our children to love and respect other people. We must teach our children that love and respect looks like standing beside someone who is being treated badly because if we can’t do anything else to help, we can stand in solidarity and support. We must teach our children to never accept injustice or inequity because despite what some people might tell you, we do truly have the capacity to change how we treat one another in this country and move forward towards equity. 

We must hold hope in our hearts and radiate that out into the world. If you have trouble finding home today, please know I’ve got your back. No matter what the storm is, I’ve got hope for all of us. I love you. Happy Wednesday!