HOPE - A MESSAGE FROM US

Hope is courage, and hope is trust

Beliefs, aspirations, dreams, and wishes

That desire in your chest, the beating in your heart. It is power, strength, and patience.

It’s the expectation that something great will happen, Holding your breath to shoot the winning shot in basketball, Or watching a soccer ball heading straight for the goal, Crossing your fingers when your team is down,

The loud cheers of the people watching,

And the people who love you pushing you onward.

Hope is a tiny spark, a small fire on a dark night,

A tiny ember of a burnt-out world that flickers still,

A light that suddenly fills the room,

The lighthouse on a stormy and raging bay,

Seeing the stars through all the darkness,

Or a vision at the end of the very long, dark tunnel.

You head straight for it, knowing you will end up somewhere.

It is seeing a chance for the future,

A door with many possibilities,

The shining part of your heart when plans don’t work out, Believing that something might happen

And that tiny feeling of greatness even when you feel down.

What is hope? Being punched in the throat by a fist full of life. And laughing to say, “It could have been worse.”

Or a poster on the wall reading,

“Hope is dope. Don’t mope.”

Or waking up to wish Kobe wasn’t gone.

It is wishing my mom is ok,

Thinking of all the doctors and nurses,

And a friend who doesn’t let you down when you need them the most.

Hope is for my wants and wishes, The phone, the puppy, a snack, For baby chicks and field trips, And my cousin coming to visit.

It is when the lows turn around,

When you don’t give up when things are hard.

Hope is the look in my teachers’ eyes,

What my parents have for me,

Coming back to school and seeing my friends,

A part of my faith that keeps me going,

The roof over my head, the ground beneath my feet, And right now, exactly what we all need.