Hope

  This world we live in is tough. It throws some difficult things at us. Every day there is something that tests our sense of humanity. Gas attacks in Syria that are killing innocent children. Bombings at a subway platform in Russia. 911 operators deciding which jurisdiction a texting and driving is in, meanwhile, the same driver crashes into a bus killing 13 people. Even amongst all of this...we have hope.

   Hope must be in our genetic makeup. It has to be. During times of war and crisis, people get up every morning and create lives for themselves. They have children, fall in love, make plans. They laugh and smile even when there is devastation all around them. Survival makes you take whatever joy you can and embrace it. Cherish it even.

  My favorite quote used to be... "It will be alright in the end. If it's not alright then it's not the end." The sad truth is some things can never be "alright". Accepting that hard truth can lead the way to hope. Even when the only hope we can muster is that we will learn from past tragedies. 

  "You woke up breathing for a reason." That is my new mantra. I say it to the kids all the time and if you've ever seen my Facebook well you know I haul it out often. To me, it is positive, supportive and humbling. Not to mention empowering. It is purpose, empathy and love all rolled up into one. 

  It is......hope.

  Ang

***I stole the "breathing" quote from the fabulous actor Hisham Tawfiq who starts every day on Twitter with that statement. He was a marine and a firefighter. He knows there is a reason!***