It’s been an absolutely crazy week in the news and I know most of us are struggling with understanding what is happening and trying to figure out what we can and should do.
What’s most important, it seems to me, is to maintain hope. Just like we know that individual humans make mistakes, groups of humans and countries also make mistakes.
But it is the individual who has to hold the hope. The hope that there is better and can be better. And then collectively we can share the hope.
There must be enough of us to say, “I know you are hurting at this time and the world and the country seems bleak, but I will hold the hope.” For the time being, I will be the one to hold the hope.
Suntan lotion fun with Super Tall Guy
I am doing that for my boys. They don’t even know that I am holding the hope for them. They don’t know that internally I wrestle with knowing that their brown skin glows and glistens and that beautiful skin will mark them and label them. They don’t know that I hold the hope for them.
They don’t know that I worry about them every day. Will they make good decisions or bad ones? Will they make poor choices in friendships or be surrounded in love? Will they thrive or flounder? They don’t know that I hold the hope for them.
They don’t know that I pour my heart and soul into thinking about them and what’s best for them. They don’t know that I sacrifice almost all my time and a (very) high percentage of my income for them. They don’t know that I’m desperately trying to get this parenting thing “right” for their sake. They don’t know that I hold the hope for them.
They don’t know that this world is huge and going through some crazy times right now. They don’t know much about the violence and racism and fighting and division. They don’t know that I hold the hope for them.
This week what runs through my mind over and over is “I choose love.” No matter what is happening around me, I choose love. For the sake of my boys, I choose love. For the sake of changing the world, I choose love. For the sake of those who need to hear it, I choose love.
If we respond in love,
If we react in love,
If we live in love,
the world will be better.
I hold the hope and I choose love.
fineartamerica.com
middleofthemadness 
Always choose love. Because, with it comes empathy, kindness, generosity, hope and most importantly, a future for all to live together. And never feel you are alone my dear niece, because there are many beside you, who observe, decide, teach, research, volunteer, give, and pray, for a world where you, and your beautiful sons will continue to be held in the arms of a loving God.
Hugs from GAK.
On Sun, Jul 10, 2016 at 9:09 PM, middleofthemadness wrote:
> middleofthemadness posted: “It’s been an absolutely crazy week in the news > and I know most of us are struggling with understanding what is happening > and trying to figure out what we can and should do. What’s most important, > it seems to me, is to maintain hope. Just like we know t” >