4/13/15, Hope

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a good week last week. Mine was a little scrambled, with cancelled plans, sick kids, and a lot of work to do. The usual stuff of life that we all deal with every day. No one is exempt from petty aggravations, changes of plans, unexpected bills, flat tires and the things that annoy us all, not to mention the big things that shake us up more severely.

I’m working on a book, so I was going to keep it short here, and talk about The Big Event in our family: the opening of baseball season!! I love going to baseball games with my youngest son, who is an ardent fan. I have a collection of ‘acceptable’ outfits to support the Giants (who do great even without my support!!), orange loafers, orange and black shoes, a black and orange ‘fan’ jacket, orange sweaters so I don’t freeze when I go to the games. I love going to baseball games with my son (and all the junk I get to eat). So I’m excited that the season is starting. There is always something so wonderful and happy and patriotic about those games. It’s good All American fun!!! So, Go Giants!! Let’s hope they have a great season ahead of them!!! With another shot at the World Series at the end of it!!!

I read your comments to my blogs today, and was very touched by so many of them. You are all so generous and kind to me, and I’m so happy you enjoy the books, that means the world to me. Those who wrote to me liked my blog about ‘resurrection’ on Easter, and said that it gave them hope. And many of you commented that my books give you hope too, when you’re coping with difficult situations. Your comments give me hope!!! I realized a long time ago that one of the essential messages I try to share is that one. Hope. We all deal with difficult things, some more than others, but hope keeps us going and encourages us to hang on. It is so essential in our lives. We need to help each other keep that hope alive, that even in the darkest times, we remember that better times will come. Thank YOU for giving me hope, for sharing my joys,for cheering me up when I’m sad, and for caring about what I write. That is a very precious gift to me. Very, very precious!!! Thank you!!!

There were some very touching messages from people who have lost friends or loved ones, through acts of terrorism, or like the recent suicide plane. It’s incredibly challenging to keep hope alive, and our faith in the human race, faced with such shocking acts that seem so senseless, and are. But whether in our own lives, or in the world, the gift of hope we give each other is essential. If I leave one message on earth when I am gone, through my books or through my life, if I have left even one person with hope in their lives, then my life will have been well spent, and my work worthwhile.

Something else occurred to me today, about how easy it is to shut down and shut people out. To shut out an entire group, a race, a nation, a family, a social group because we have been hurt by one person in that group. It is much easier to shut the door on a whole group, than to recognize that we have been injured by one person, who so poorly represented their ‘group’ and hurt us. I think we have to try to keep the doors open, of our minds, our hearts, our lives, not to generalize, or condemn an entire group for the sins of one person. It made me think of social media too, where we are exposed to so many people and have the illusion that we know them, that we are ‘friends’ with them. Lurking among the thousands or millions of people we encounter online, there are some bad ones lurking, inevitably, and many good ones. Social media can be so invasive, we are bombarded by ideas and messages from people who may be of good will or not. We have to learn to avoid, shut out, and ignore the bad ones, and remember that there are good people in the world too. We have to be wise and cautious, with so much information coming at us all the time, and a friend is someone you truly know and value in real life, not necessarily a stranger who calls themselves a friend, and you really don’t know. Social media helps create illusions with people you really don’t know. We need to be wise and cautious about that.

I hope you have an easy, happy week, and that good things happen to you this week. You have my prayers and warm thoughts—be safe, and hang onto hope in your life!!!

love, Danielle