“It is only for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us.”

– Walter Benjamin

Are you hopeful at the start of another day?  Do you venture into the unpredictable world with excitement at knowing that something special is waiting for you to discover it before the day is over?  If this is the way you view your world, be thankful — you have been given the gift of hope.

Hope is based on a general sense of well-being that grows from a constant appreciation for the smallest things that bring us joy.  As with all good gifts, we must learn how to use hope in order for it to grow.  Once we have opened our eyes to a ll the wonderful things that remind us of how beautiful life can be, we have no choice but to live with anticipation — with hope — every day of our lives.  Only yesterday, I saw a tiny goldfinch taking a bath in my neighbor’s birdbath — and I was thankful that water is abundant enough for a little yellow fellow to splash and preen.  I found a ripe tomato, one of the first of the season, growing in my garden; and I was thankful that we have an abundance of food that nourishes us and keeps us alive.  I found a tiny plant growing at the edge of the vegetable patch.  It probably is a weed, but it was filled with the most beautiful, dainty white flowers I could hope to enjoy; and I was thankful that beauty lines the path wherever I seem to walk.

If you also are blessed with hope, remember to share it.  Those of us with the hope virus should be purposeful about spreading it and infecting others.  Call another person to watch the bird, share the tomato, or marvel at the delicate beauty of a flower.  Let your joy spill out in response to the tiny things that bless your day.  Remember that it is for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us.