Hope is such a strange thing
So fragile, and prone to getting lost and broken
And yet it perseveres, pulling itself back together
Despite the odds
Despite the hurt
Despite the all consuming desire to just give up, give in, lay down and let the waves come
Hope remains
It shines in the darkness, painful in it's radiance
Beautiful in its simplicity
Hope is the essence of what life longs to be
Always it waits, bides its time
Always it watches with compassion
Always it cries with us when all is lost
It remains with us through the pain
Calls to us when we need to hear
Silences us when needed
Shows us how to be better than we are
And shows us it is possible
Despite what they say
Despite what they may do
Despite the ever-encroaching doubts and fears that cloud our eyes and hearts
Hope remains
Hope remains because I refuse to let it die
I shelter it from the storm with all I am
I give of all that I am for hope
Because Hope is all I have in this world
And without it, there is no world worth living in
I will die for hope if I must
And I will live in it
No matter the challenge, the pain, the lingering fingers of death and despair
Hope remains
And so will I