This morning, on Table Talk, we talked about hope. (You can listen to the show via the player at the bottom of the post.)
We spoke about hope because Derek and Bette wrote about hope earlier this week. In his post, Derek wrote:
“You know, one of the most difficult to process for me has been the loss of hope; it must one of those things you don’t realize you have until something diminishes or destroys it. It must have been at the foundation of everything we’ve been doing. In addition to the actual loss, will we also have to navigate the loss of hope?”
I asked for your feedback on Twitter and on the website: How do you define “hope”?
Here’s the feedback from Twitter:
ValueIntoWords: Hope is the fuel to KEEP TRYING!
TrueLoveQuest: Hope for the elderly come from their belief that their love still has value. It is important that they never lose this hope.
_MlleB: Hope is believing that a better future is possible, without the rigidity of expectations.
ElderCareRN: Hope is that barely noticeable grasp on the idea that goodness will come again, which gives us the courage to go on.
And, here’s the feedback from the website:
Sharon:
I do not think of the word “hope” like it is usually used. It is not just wishing for something which you are not sure you will receive. Hope is looking forward with surety to what we do not yet possess. Hope is sort of the same thing as faith. I know with 100 percent certainty that my husband and my mother-in-law will some day be healed. Most likely that will not be in this life, but there is life beyond this life.
Donna Ryan:
HOPE to me is not knowing what is going to happen but still feel anticipation and excitement. It’s sort of like receiving a gift with a pretty bow and wrapping. You don’t know what is inside or what to expect and you feel excited with the anticipation of what you will find. There are gifts you love and are excited to have received, then there are some that you have to pretend you love when you hate it, and some you have down right hated.
That is how life is anxiously wishing for the best but knowing that life gives us some so-so moments and some really bad moments. Those days can bring you down but oh, when the perfect day occasionally arrives, days full of sunshine and hours full of happiness where everything went perfectly fine that is hope to me. You then wish and wake up tomorrow with thoughts of perhaps another good day like that will be here again soon.
Hope to me is getting through each day anticipating good things but knowing we can deal should the gift be not-so-hot!!!
Donna Webb:
Hebrews 11:1 says, Faith is the substance of things hoped for. That means that when we hope for something—whatever it is—that hope is filled with faith. We have faith. We believe that the thing will come to pass. The Bible also says, hope deferred makes the heart sick; we need to hope and continue to hope.
Bette:
“Hope” is a wonderful word, maybe the meaning just changes a bit in caregiving, but doesn’t have to go away. I have to hang on to the fact that we give our carees hope everyday. Hope in living in an environment that gives them comfort. We are there for them. I guess sometimes hope can take on a new meaning. The meaning comes from us.
From me, written a few years ago:
Do you sometimes wonder if hope is friend or foe?
You hope, but your hopes don’t seem to materialize. You hope a sibling will be more sensitive to all you do, you hope your care recipient will know more pain-free days, you hope your life will be easier. But, the hopes just seem to stay that—hopes.
Try these hopes:
Hope that you always be able to love.
Hope that you always be able to show your love.
Hope that you’ll see the miracles that happen in the small moments.
Hope that your heart stays warm even when the world could make it cold.
Hope that your life stays three-dimensional, full of some pain, some joy and all wisdom.
With these hopes, the rest falls in place. Hope is your friend.
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How do you define hope? I’d love to hear your definitions. Feel free to share in our comments section.
I loved listening to this broadcast. It made me a little emotional hearing all the wonderful comments.
Donna W. mentioned Hebrews 1l:1. Another translation for that verse says: “Now faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do not see.”
I liked MlleB’s comment about hope being a belief in a better future without the rigidity of expectations. So often our plans or what we think is best for our lives or our loved one’s lives get in the way of what is truly best and wonderful. Good things now and for our futures often come as a result of the hard times which were not part of our expectations and plans for our lives. I do not understand the reason for a lot of the sad things which happen in our lives, but I know there is divine purpose in it all.
I loved Donna R.’s word picture of opening up gifts of hope. Some gifts delight us and some gifts are really difficult gifts which we would prefer not to receive. In the end, however, they are all part of life. They all form our characters. Individually they may not all be good, but somehow they all work together for our good.