On this day, as perhaps yesterday, we have our personal struggles. Our world has re-written itself and what we knew ‘to be so’ and familiar, isn’t anymore. The promise of our plans and expectations for this new year have to be to re-imagined or sadly, postponed till unknown o’clock.

So how does one wrap their head around this new revision and unknown-ness of our world; and more specifically, our little corner of it that we call home?

My Dear Darlings, I have something for you to reflect on…BUT you MUST keep an open essence about your presence, and you will feel the Hope-ggles.

And yes, I do so love inventing new words to describe what’s swirling around in my head! There just isn’t any in the dictionary…yet.

I spent the best part of my day yesterday with my grandbabies and my son. I miss every now and then being ‘in’ how my son and daughter (in-law) does ‘life’. Their little corner of the world is abundant with hopeggles. I fill up with the exuberance of my grandbabies approach to everything they see and do. They are innocent to the struggles of the grown-ups and so pure and believing in the promise of happy/good in the unknown of their day. Simplicity in all its glory! I so love being in their presence as they fill me up with that promise too.

And later that evening I thought of my father who passed away when a disease prevailed. His struggle with the disease though, didn’t become his new identity… it was HOW he continued to live his life with hope that did.

You see, the true beauty is how my father lived REGARDLESS of the disease, IN SPITE of it, and BECAUSE of it. This means my dear that HOPE was always a strong essence in my father’s presence. The realness of this ugly we are all living in today, will not re-write our resolve to persist.

We will continue with intent of purpose towards tomorrow regardless of uncertainty; in spite of the unknown; and because we have a collective intuitive knowing that hope is real. Herein, our hopeggles will see us through. (And you have to admit now that this new word to your vocabulary works! )

The act of being human has its challenges and its triumphants. Being human hurts. But my dear, being human hopes.

Look for the reckoning of hope in the tiniest sliver of kindness or act of humble humanity whether it crosses your path or presents itself to you. I witnessed my father struggle with his mortality because of his hope. He fought to keep himself despite the ugly of the unknown.

I witness my grandbabies smile and giggle with the purity of love wrapped in the innocence of their abundant hope. There is no ugly unknown for children. Only the anticipation or hope that their immediate today is filled with what they feel and what us grown-ups know to be love.

I kinda am curious how our new world is going to play itself out. Nonetheless, we must fiercely hold onto our determination to re-write and re-invent our own plans and expectations for the tomorrows of the year.

And because I say so…we must purposely and with conscious repetitive intent, slam hope smack dab in the middle of struggle…and continue forward.