The Gift of Hope

Hope. It is a fragile winged thing. It is one of the 3 virtues. It is what we all depend upon. Are we born able to experience hope? Is it teachable? Probably not. To hope is to believe in a good outcome. It is to atke in all the facts and still hold fast to the idea that things will be ok in the end. So how do we learn to hope, or do we really? We says we hope the Heat wins the championship this year. We hope we get a raise, but are we experiencing a true hopeful experience? How can we as adults model this for our kids? How do we show them what it means to have hope even when everyone around them has given up?  People say  they give someone hope. Hope is not something you can give. It is something you experience. Is hope a wish? Is it make believe? For kids it is just that ...a wish. Wishes kids can understand. They make them everytime they blow out birthday candles and see a star and everytime they get the bigger piece of the wish bone. They make them when they throw coins in a wishing well. The fantasy and magical thinking of a child lets them know what it feels like to hope. They feel the excitement, they experience the anticipation of when and if  the wish will come true and what it feels like when the wish is realized.  To teach a child to hope, teach them to wish and to believe in fairies. Teach them tht magic still exists even in this high definition, 3 d video laden place. The world will be a much better place if they learn to hope.