HOPE and the Hope Tree. It was there, in the middle of the field. Not so unusual until winter came and the thoughts of Christmas traveled with us. We came down the trail where the great Spruce stood. To our surprise, someone had put ornaments on it. There is a place where each of us is caught by surprise and what we instantly recognize as good and wonderful fills us and the world suddenly seems right, full of hope and warmth from the cold outside. That is how we felt at that moment. It was unexpected, it felt good. It did not take long, however, for others in the park to try to destroy this offering. I can not quite comprehend why someone would intentionally remove these ornaments. Was it lack of hope that would cause them to rip the grand ornaments from the tree's care and lay it bare once more? Why? Was it hate, fear? I was puzzled over this until I returned a few days later. Hope had been renewed, someone had placed new, different ornaments on the tree. And, you could tell they were different, from more that one person. And, as is custom, year after year, as new strangers and old friends of the trail would see to it that hope is restored and once again place new ornaments and shreds of ribbon and painted wood placard on the hope tree, there for all to see. Myself included.
When all is said and done, it is only appropriate to be grateful, for the full beauty, understanding, and grace of being, hard though life may be, full of winding turns and challenges of the soul. From beginning to end life is a challenge, with death a certainty. We are free to be who we are to be. We can choose between alternatives, we can even choose to end our own lives. But we persist and find beauty and accomplishment. We rip success daily from the fabric of time, making order out of chaos. It is an adventure and recognition. Recognition of what is good, right, and an announcement of all that is beyond our grasp and there for us to grab in return. We have the capacity to be grateful for each day, grateful for seeing opportunity and the possibility of life when others may not, grateful for being able to choose your own fate among the many destinies that surround us, grateful to be able to share compassion and feel the strands of hope that make each day an opportunity for which only you can grasp.