Hope Is Not Lost, Hope Inspires

Try as I might, I cannot imagine the pain of a child lost. I have two wonderful boys. Both were born a month early, but relatively healthy. Yes, they have shaved a few years off the end of my life, Andrew with his emergency room visits and Christopher with his disappearing acts (twice we nearly had to enlist the help of the police to find him). But, I have not borne the pain of losing a baby or child. Truly, I have been blessed.

Today, I remember, with other members of my family, the children whose cries were not heard. Who were given eternal life instead of our mortal one. I pray for their parents who mourned them, but did not give up Hope that their family was destined to be great.

Hope

Hope is a dream

you know can come true.

Hope springs from the love

that is share between two.

Hope can bring sadness.

Hope can bring joy.

Hope can be found

in the birth of a boy.

Hope is a mom.

Hope is a dad.

Hope is the family

they knew they still had.

Hope is quiet.

Hope is wild.

Hope is faith.

Hope is a child.

Risk

I took a huge personal risk today. I attended a Women's Writing Circle. I cannot imagine myself doing that just five years ago. Whenever I take such a risk, I think of one of my Because of You inspiring women, Jake. She helped me to find the courage and self-value to take risks and make changes in my life. I have changed jobs, taken on this blog project, and pushed myself to new challenges, because of her. I miss her much since she has moved to California.
As far as I know, she has no knowledge of this Writing Circle, so this is a risk that I took without her. However, she continues to inspire me from her western coast. As I headed home from the Women's Writing Circle, I thought, "Jake would be so proud of me." More importantly, though, I have found support and a listening ear, and I am proud of myself.

Because of You

Jake

Because of you,

I have learned much about myself.

Because of you,

I learned I could stand up for myself.

Because of you,

I learned I can make a change.

Because of you,

I learned to drink wine...almost.

Because of you,

I learned that I can make a difference.

I learned all of this about myself,

Because of you.