hope

it is our election day, here in these united states - as if you needed me to tell you that.  it is a day when we americans can all make a choice, and a motion, and a plea.  it is our privilege and our right to go out and cast our votes, each and every one of us, and i for one am sitting with my breath held throughout this day and evening to see what comes about.  i don't pray much, or i don't pray as often as i should, but for months now i've been begging - pleading - for change.  for fresh air.  for hope...  among other things.

hope  (hp)

v. hoped, hop·ing, hopes

v.intr.

1. To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.

2. Archaic To have confidence; trust.

v.tr.

1. To look forward to with confidence or expectation: We hope that our children will be successful.

2. To expect and desire. See Synonyms at expect.

n.

1. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.

2. Something that is hoped for or desired: Success is our hope.

3. One that is a source of or reason for hope: the team's only hope for victory.

4. often Hope Christianity The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.

5. Archaic Trust; confidence.

 

i hope.  oh, how i hope.  i hope, i hope, i hope. xo

Morning Poem by Mary Oliver

Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange

sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches ---
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it

the thorn
that is heavier than lead ---
if it's all you can do
to keep on trudging ---

there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted ---

each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,

whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.

Comments

[kim]

hoping in ohio too....
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

[Vicki in Michigan]

*Hoping* along with you. So important, for the future of the planet...........

[carol]

me too.

[Tina in McLeansville]

well my first hope is that this doesn't double-post because i couldn't make it go before, so if it does, apologies.
...i hope that when our children talk about this day in history with their children, they will be able to tell them that we chose well....that they will be able to hold their heads up with renewed hope for peace and prosperity. i hope every day, but today especially, that we do well by our children and our childrens' children. i, too, hope, hope, hope.....

[Cindy Ericsson]

Hope and dare!

[Cindy Ericsson]

I just spent a few minutes window-shopping in your Etsy store -- any suggestions for cleaning drool off my keyboard?

[Nellie]

Isn't it something, that a small 4 letter word, can hold such power. "Hope" can carry us through our darkest day and still bring peace at the end of that day. Even in the mist of our storm, hope can bring forth a gleam of light to guide us to shore. I hope for a brighter future and hope that everyone finds what they seek...I hope too!

[Ilene Harris]

The sun is shining through the redwoods outside my window this morning - and I feel positive that bright days are ahead - even in the rain. I'm holding the Obama family in the sun's light today. Let it be...

Ilene

[Lori Paximadis]

What a glorious day for hope.

[MB Shaw]

Beautiful poem. It's a glorious day here in the Midwest and we walked to the polls to cast our votes for HOPE too.

[Hushedser]

Here in Canada we're also hoping and praying with you. Love your pics too BTW.

[stephanie]

This poem...I love this poem. We were on the magical shores of Lake Powell this summer with family for a week. The light there is so different from the light of my green forests. One night we sat around the campfire with no trees to back up to - only the night sky FILLED to bursting with stars from low horizon to low horizon. Coyotes just over that rock over there....we sang to guitar and told jokes and I read this poem to the group. I thought that the words were so fitting of the surroundings and the moods we were all holding - somewhat strained and childlike at the same time. (long story). We swam along soft trails of water. For hours our imaginations would dip in and out of the blue-black water with our bodies. The sun painted the earth anew each morning in blazing oranges and reds. Rock cliffs hot underfoot with a jump and a gust of wind became cool, wet, happiness pushing between our toes. Heaven.

[Amy]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful creations, and that wonderful poem. It reminds me of Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard, an incredible little book loaned to me a few years ago.

"Every day is a god, each day is a god, and holiness holds forth in time. I worship each god, I praise each day splintered down, splintered down and wrapped in time like a husk, a husk of many colors spreading, at dawn fast over the mountains split..."
--from Holy the Firm

[Judy Merrill-Smith]

Thank you for this post, Nina. The poem is beautiful. I am hoping with you!

[bobbi]

My hope joins your hope and the hopes of many, many others...and the very thought of a black family in the white house makes me smile...

[sperlygirl]

hoping all the way from over here...and hoping hard!!

[heather bradley]

just voted...just guerilla-arted more rocks...feeling buoyed by hope! thank you for the poem, a new treasure, for what will be an historic day! xoxo

[Erin Gergen Halls]

hoping here,
breath caught somewhere deep inside,
that today will be a day when the possibilities for my children...for all our children, will be multiplied.
hoping for change.
hoping for unity.

i had tears in my eyes waiting to cast my one- yet enormous! -vote.

i have never felt more alive, more grateful, more hopeful.

i barack-ed the vote,baby!
yes indeed!!

[jane]

the perfect poem for today. thank you!

jane

[gina armfield]

I hope, I pray, I wish .... for CHANGE!

[Leau]

Thank god someone gave us the opportunity to hope again! While I get excited and emotional every election day, today there is that additional hope that tomorrow will really be different. Beautiful images, words and definitely a shout out to Mary. Lovely

[jamie]

I have lots of Hope! I Voted and Hope my Vote is Heard.. Jamie Change

[Bill Malkasian]

Never a problem at Valley Ridge Art Studio, we dont let politicos in the gate.

[Sally]

HOPE.

Sometimes that's all we have. It's gotten me through the dark times in my life. Even on the darkest days, there was a hope that lighted my day, even for a moment.

I finally got to vote for something I believe in.

I actually cried when I got into my car after I voted; that's never happened to me before. And I'm 60 years old.

[sheila]

6:30 p.m. here in California--oh, election is here at last--time for us all to speak, and I will, I HOPE, I HOPE, wake to President Obama tomorrow morning, and my prayer will be, ever, thank you, thank you.
xxxooo dear Nina.

[Joni]

What a gorgeous necklace!

[Leslie M.]

Hope is the "thing with wings." I can hear it fluttering outside my window. I'm glad to know it's there.

xo

[Hope @ The Queen Of Re]

Well said

[Bonnie Moench]

I was praying for you ...... everytime I thought about what could come of this oportunity......I only wish I could have voted, but for some strange reason they don't let Canadians vote :-).....but now that it is over, I can say.....I was overjoyed with the outcome.