Day Thirteen: Hope

Word of the Day: Hope


Image of the Day: tulip heads

Token of the Day: Botswanan Agate


Gail's note: not just the name of a character in 30 something...... hope springs eternal......


Hope is the name of a character in ThirtySomething, much-loved television drama series; it is also the name of my next-door neighbour at Waulkmill (an interesting connection today as i met a woman called Nora at a dream workshop and Hope's wife is called Nora!)

I hope so is Quaker speak for approval, agreement in a Business Meeting, meaning I hope that this is the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Apparently, according to online definition sources, it is archaic to use "hope" meaning to have confidence or trust! Nowadays it is more usually used to imply expectation, desire, wish...

The word comes from Middle English hopen from Old English hopian. French, Spanish and Italian all use the Latin sperare which is where we get our word despair, the opposite of hope.

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome, it is both an emotional state and a spiritual grace. Hope is one of the three theological virtues, the other two being faith and charity. Hope signifies an awareness of spiritual truth and was not released from Pandora's box as it was seen as a dangerous element to allow out...

The Hope Chest is a wonderful novel written by Rukhsana Ahmad who i met at the Midland Arts Centre during a book festival when she had just released the book. That was in 1996 and the memory of her and of her writing has stayed with me since. I have looked for her name ever since and not found it. I hope all is well with her.

i hope
i am hopeful
i am filled with hope

hope, faith and charity
encompass me
grace me with presence
endow me with spirit
charge me with emotion
boundless belief
hope personified
balanced with faith
held up with charity
hope - reckless, wild, intimate, true.