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ON THE MATTER OF HOPE
"Hope is faith in its future orientation."
-Rev. Kim Crutchfield
"Hope begins in the dark,
the stubborn hope that if you just show up
and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.
You wait and watch and work.
You don't give up."
-Anne
Lamott
It's
not how much we do,
but
how much love we put into doing it.
It's
not how much we give,
but
how much love we put into giving.
-Mother Teresa
People speak of having flashbacks.
I have flash-forwards.
Anticipation? Worry? Hope?
I think it is hope.
—Cheryl Farrell
The science of our emotions
is elevated by the manner
of our faith.
—Cheryl Farrell
"God wastes no pain."
—Douglas Whitaker, CTN Co-Founder
Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its trouble.
It empties today of its strength.
—Author Unknown
With hope, even in my poorest of times, I've never been
richer.
—Cheryl Farrell
I begin each day reminding myself
to expect the best outcome in all matters,
regardless of the details.
I need to be reminded ...
Post-it notes are my life's wallpaper.
—Cheryl Farrell
My prayer for today:
To be at peace with
the piece of the world
I can affect today.
How about you?
What's your prayer?
—Cheryl Farrell
Pray for a way.
“We must accept finite disappointment,
but never lose infinite hope.”
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Where you set out to go is meaningless if you’re
walking in the dark.
Make your plans ... and pray for God to illuminate your path.”
—Cheryl Farrell 7/26/09
When you express to the world:
this is what I do, this is
what I know,
this is what I'm here for,
I'm available,
then you set up some
dynamic.
Things come.
—Lee Glickenstein (Quoted in "Callings" by Gregg Levoy)
Don't let what you cannot do
interfere with what you can do.
--John Wooden
Never fear shadows.
They simply mean there is a light shining somewhere nearby.
—Author Unknown
To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none.
—Francis Bacon, Sr.
Character liberates an identity born in caste.
—Cheryl
Farrell
The Grand essentials of happiness are:
something to do,
something to love,
and something to hope for.
—Allan K. Chalmers
ON THE MATTER OF HOPE
"We don't know enough to despair...
Despair
is hidden arrogance: I have seen the future
and it doesn't work.
Hope is rooted in trust of the unknown.
Work, wait, and hope. That is enough."
—
Sam Keen, excerpt from Callings,
by
Gregg Levoy
The "Hard Stuff" in Hope*
The only way to get yourself out
of a fog is to rise above it.
God's peace can keep you from
going to pieces.
There is hope in your future if
God is in your present.
*From God Is in the
Hard Stuff, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.
In times of great sadness and stress ...
the body realizes a need for hope.
That is when dreams grow.
—Lionel Haynes
"In change we find
our purpose."
—Heraclitus, Greek
philosopher
Hope
steps in where imagination drops off.
—Cheryl Farrell
Doors of Hope
If
opportunity doesn’t knock … then build a door.
—Milton Berle
A
sign on the door of opportunity reads, “Push.”
—Thomas Jefferson
Trouble
knocked at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away.
—Benjamin Franklin
Quotes
courtesy of Avalon Windows & Doors www.avalonwindows.com
"The Road to Success"
The road to
success is not straight.
There is a curve
called Failure,
a loop called
Confusion,
speed bumps called
Friends,
red lights called
Enemies,
caution lights
called Family.
You will have
flats called Jobs.
But, if you
have a spare called Determination,
an engine called Perseverance,
insurance called
Faith,
a driver called
Almighty God,
you will make it to a place called Success.
—Author
Unknown
"Come By Here"
"...This
sweet prayer set to music has special meaning for me. It was often a part of my childhood worship. I've heard similar sentiments
from others about the familiar song. Its uncomplicated lyrics reflect a profound statement of hope:
talk to God and he will surely listen..."
—Cheryl
Farrell
Bay Heart Music Prayer Room
www.bayheartmusic.com/prayerroom
Click the play
button for "Come By Here"
[Spoken Word/Song]
[02:29]
“The String and the Journey”
July 2008
I recently received a terrific email from a dear friend on the matter of life’s journey. Her story
touched me greatly. It puts the journey message into clear perspective. Please enjoy this, and share it with anyone who may
need to hear from you while on their journey.
EMAIL
EXCERPT FROM A FRIEND ON THE SUBJECT OF ADVENTURE
My mother-in-law’s cousin was a beautiful spirit who died at 92. She was
a joy to visit in Napa. When [my son] was little, she would greet us at the door and give him the end of a
piece of yarn and tell him to follow it. He would follow the yarn across the room, up the bookcase and down the bookcase,
under the sofa and into the bedroom, and finally when he got to the end of the yarn, she would have a little present for him. She
would wave her finger at him and say, “It’s not about the prize, it’s about the adventure!”
Adventure or journey, that is what counts. That is such a great thing.
"I
am not anxious to be the loudest voice or the most popular.
But
I would like to think that at a crucial moment,
I
was an effective voice of the voiceless,
an
effective hope of the hopeless."
—Whitney M. Young, Jr.
“What Does Hope Look Like?"
April
2008
There’s a humorous credit card ad campaign that has gruff characters from another time asking
a tag line, “What’s in your wallet?” I believe it’s becoming as familiar as a competitor’s slogan,
“Don’t leave home without it.” In both cases, the message is to stay equipped with negotiable instruments
to purchase your desires.
As enamored of advertising creativity as the next gal, the persuasive message lingers in my mind. So
much so, that a variation of the ad slipped into my thoughts. Know what it said?
“What’s in your wallet … of
hope?”
It asks, what currency do you use to negotiate change? (No pun intended—the frustrated wannabe
ad exec in me emerges at times.) For all the talk about hope, what do we carry around in order to obtain hope? My answer
is to fill my spiritual pocketbook with the following:
- Dreams of what hope looks like in order to recognize its fruit when I see
it.
- Investments in tomorrow’s memories with good thoughts today. (Inspired by Marianne Williamson.*)
- Meditation and prayer—being still in order to hear what I'm called to do.
I know all this sounds like lofty niceties. We’ve got to start somewhere. It’s my attempt
at a start.
—Cheryl Farrell
* “The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife,” by Marianne Williamson.
ISBN-13: 9781401917197 Publisher Hay House, Inc. (2008)
"What's in your wallet?"® Capital One Credit Card
"Don't leave home without it." American Express
On the Matter of Success
"To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and …
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded."
----Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I've learned that people will forget
what you've said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how
you made them feel."
—Maya Angelou
"But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles.”
--Jeremiah 40:31 NIV
Inspired by Bill Stross for DEMDACO
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