A Little Bit O'Hope

It's interesting how just the smallest glimmer of hope can change your whole situation. I had a friend talking about that this weekend so it's been rolling around in my brain like a loose marble for a few days and I think it finally fell into a hole last night.

People go through some really bad experiences. You've just been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Your husband has just confessed that he's been involved in an affair for the past year with a 60 year old prostitute/afghan crocheter. You have a 4-year-old with an attitude problem. Your daughter is about to marry a serial killer. The toilet in your guest bathroom is overflowing, your dishwasher is broken and your mother-in-law is on her way over. How does hope change my situation? The answer is this: From the outside looking in, it doesn't. I still have breast cancer, a weird cheating husband, an attitudinal 4-year-old, an evil son-in-law, broken appliances and an over-involved mother-in-law.

From inside my circumstances, however, hope makes all the difference in the world. Suddenly breast cancer is beatable. My husband is truly repentant and with a lot of work we'll end up with a really good strong marriage when we're old together. My four-year-old will be five next month. Maybe my daughter will see the light and break up with the jerk that she's been dating. The plumber is on his way over and the dishwasher will be fixed because my best friend's husband "knows a guy."

It all comes back to perspective. Someone else looking at my situation might not see hope make a difference but it makes a difference in my attitude which makes all the difference in the world.