Friday, March 1, 2013

Hope is the Lighthouse that Guides Me Through the Dark

It's easy to get derailed. If you listen too long it will weaken you... and you'll find yourself diverted... No worries... Putting the wheels back on the rails is a doable task. I'm an old hand at it! ;)

When you get up in the morning do you read the news? Do you turn on the TV or the radio only to see brutality and cruelty that seems to be swelling like a cancer and leaves you stunned? Everywhere you look in the world there seems to be insanity that has an uneasy knot squirming in your gut?




It's not only in Syria, Croatia, Asia, a half dozen African countries, Mexico... Everywhere you look in our own land it seems you see a sickness of the soul and a blackness of the heart that has man turning on neighbor.

It would seem the world is gone mad and depravity has conquered civilization.

But... hasn't it always been so? Didn't the conquistador rain genocide on the Mayan and Aztec? Didn't the British Kings slaughter Scots in the Highlands, manipulate famine in Ireland? The Muslims have fought Christians since the first Muslim and Christian were born.

Cheyenne fought the Blackfoot. Both fought the white man. Tribe has fought Tribe in Afghanistan since the beginning of time, and will till the end of time. One Afghan nation is a western concoction... for which they hate and fight us.

Our leadership teaches us to revile each other and judge according to income and creed. They split us by race and gender, city and farm, conservative and liberal.

To raise up their greed they tear down respect.

Man has raped and cheated; murdered and pillaged since the genesis of the species. It is an old story. There is nothing new.

The only thing that's changed is the speed of the messenger. It twists the mind so it seems as if perversion has run wild; and yet, that is only another deceit. The world itself has not changed, not for better or for worse... nor the people in it.

Times are good for many. Times are brutally hard for others. The strong prey upon the weak. It has always been so.

But people! Take Heart! Listen to the whispers. Those tiny lil' voices in the back of your mind. That soft whispering from your heart.

There is a power that stands up to and defeats the world of sorrow and misery. There is a force that soothes the fear and the sorrow. There is a voice that shines a light in your life.




There is a belief, that if you hold it close enough in your heart, your strength shall never fail. Its strength flows back on itself and grows with irresistible power.

It is a belief  that whether you realize it or not, you possess it. You own it.

That special gift, that strength... that shining star that is my lighthouse... Its name is Hope. Many will call it faith. Some will call it a simple toughness. I call it Hope.

When you stand alone... and those you held most dear and precious lay broken and torn around you, and you are left alone, all you have is Hope. When you feel your heart will burst with the pain as you scream your agony at the sky... Fall to your knees and in their memory... grasp the Hope that they hung to with their last breath.

Raise up your eyes, lift yourself from the ground and with the Hope they passed to you, continue. For them, in their honor if not yourself, live on.




Sure, we have been betrayed. It's not the first time nor will it be the last. Those cowardly few who swore to stand up for those who could not; those malicious frauds who promised to defend and protect have proven their deceit.

They are unworthy of our thought or consideration. It is no surprise. Deep down we knew it would be, we expected it. Our hearts knew their true character, even as our eyes were deceived... but we Hoped. The fraud of their word is not our shame but theirs.

We retained hope. It is our Glory. It is the fuel of our soul and the lifeblood in our hearts. Hope.

As the sun rises each morning... the dawn after our last failure... we shall pick up our tools, we shall stand in the morning breeze and we shall say; It is a fine day. I Hope others are as fortunate as I, for I am still warmed by Hope.




It is the purpose and the goal of all life. Though your dreams may fall to dust, your heart be broken and torn, you only fail if you surrender Hope.

It is not the man who easily rises without strife, standing on the success of others to claim the pinnacle, that is the champion and my moral compass. The one I revere is he who tries... she who strives without ever relenting, and never achieving their dreams; yet they never surrender, they refuse to yield. They live on with Hope.

Don't just look out the window and dream... break out the glass... crawl on through and seize that life you see...



It is that person who tastes the sweetest breath of Life. It is that glorious soul that fully appreciates the friendships and the losses. 

With their final breath they reach out to take yet another step and point; "It is there... just over there..."

You look and see nothing. You turn back to them and ask; "What? What do you see?"

Their eyes gaze upon you... bewildered. To them it is as clear as the sun. With glittering eyes they cry; "There! How can you not see her? It is Hope!"



Retain your Hope... and you prevail. You shine a light that beats back the darkness.

It is a Fine Day.
Brian

11 comments:

martin said...

Thank you for shining your ray of hope with such words and images. I hope you carry on for many years to come.

Cindy Kingma said...

I felt your hope in this post, Brian.
I see a transformation of sorts emerging in this lifestyle you and Heidi have undertaken.
Ramble on and spread your special brand of sunshine to those whose paths you cross. :)
For a feisty rooster, you have your peaceful side. The pictures you take show the greatness of this country and perhaps it will draw out those that need that same kind of nature fix to live in the business end of dealing with 'the world' they struggle by in.

Ed, Carol and Gopher the dog said...

It has been a long time since I have read anything as powerful. By far your best!
Thank you
Ed

Box Canyon Blog.com said...

I feel like I've been to church...
thanks
Box Canyon Mark

john said...

sounds like my old preacher in my teens speaking here ,,but its all good ..love the blog ,

Tom Williams said...

Purdy words an' pictures.

bill said...

Brian,
You are spot on with your comments and views.
Very well said.
We all need this bit of inspiration in these very trying times.
Thank you,
Bill

Garth said...

Well said Brian
Garth

butterbean carpenter said...

Howdy Brian,
Very well thought out and espoused, but how do you find HOPE when you have none??? I breathe cause I haven't died!!! Joyce really has gotten a lot from your epistles and tries to show me that it's not over 'til it's over!!!
You are a positive thinker and I applaud that!!!
Hope is only a wish I have that others may feel good!!!

Brian said...

The responses to this post have touched me... in an unforgettable way. This place I am fortunate to "Work" has enriched me in ways that I had no concept of when I started. Thank You all very much.

Martin; Thank you. I hope to be able to have a few people believing I add something to the conversation for a few more years. ;) Especially those I cross "philosophies" with on occasion. :)

Cindy; Thank You as well. I don't know if it's a transformation or just the realization that I ain't ever gonna fix the broken parts so I might as well just accept what I can't change ;) I'm trying to look at it as I'm still "growing" :)

Ed, Carol and Gopher; Thank you. I am humbled.

Mark; Amen Brother! :) Can you say YAYES? :))

John; well... without the brimstone stuff! ;)

Tom; The pictures are of my "Church" and remind me of how rich I am in life... if not in fleeting gold.

Bill; Thank You! That is my goal. To simply give folks that see it as such, a leg up.

Garth; Thank you sir!

Butterbean Carpenter; You sell yourself short sir. You don't sound without hope to me. Simply tired. That your Hope is a Wish that somebody else receives a gift tells me a lot about the "Wisher", and that his well has not run dry.

Donna K said...

Little late to the party but must comment. Ed sent me a link. I read your blog but missed this one. I thought somehow that maybe I was alone in thinking that the world has not changed...only the swiftness with which we get the messages. That and the overbearing media whose job it is to deliver said message with as much angst as possible. We have been through a rough 14 months (well 4 years, if truth be told) but we are on the road to getting our mojo (and HOPE) back. I also call it faith. Your post here was just what I needed to read. Wonderfully written and an inspriation. I shall press on towards the mark.