"Hope"

I am on a quest this week to get back to some kind of schedule or routine.  I have not really been following my routine lately and it is greatly impacting my mental mindset.  As hard as it is some days to push through and get up and go, it is more difficult to not push through and deal with the spiral of negative thinking as a result of my inability to be still and be at peace at the same time.  So this week, after two weeks of doing minimal activity I decided to plan something for every day and stick to it.  Monday I walked with a friend from Bible study, Tuesday I walked with a friend from Bible study and had lunch with a friend from Bible study, Wednesday I am going to go visit my horse friend, who belongs to a friend from Bible study and Thursday I should probably go to bible study.  Its interesting to me how these people have become a part of my life, how there are connections to be found if you just look.  Each friendship is unique and different.  Today I walked with a friend who faces similar struggles as I do.  It is hard for me to think that anybody would want to spend time with me when there are days that I would do anything just to get away from me.  Some days the only way things get done is knowing that somebody else is counting on me  - to show up, to be there.  We took 7017 steps today as we talked about everything from our kids to church.  It was a nice way to start the day.

As we got ready to leave she told me that she had something for me.  She handed me a book mark - I took a picture of it.  How true, that if we want rainbows you gotta have rain.  I am big on hand written messages - those mean the most to me.  I cherish somebody taking the time to put their thoughts into writing something and giving it to me.  When I am struggling I pull out a collection of these random hand written notes - some birthday cards, a graded note from my 11th grade English journal, notes of encouragement from friends; I find written words to be quite the source of encouragement to me.  Can't doubt what I can see!  So this friend wrote a message on the back and because I always look at things deeper than the 'normal' person - I was so moved by the message. Her name is Hope, and since our paths have crossed I have always thought in my head, "I need a little Hope in my life"....today I got this hand written message on the back of a great book mark and I was thinking what if Hope - like the feeling or expectation of something good happening - were to write you a note - doesn't it seem fitting that it would be 'glad it met' you? I love that her name is Hope and she brings Hope and looking at the figurative meaning in the hand written words - its like the expectation of something good, Hope, meeting me right were I am and saying hey I'm glad we met.....Is it crazy the way I think?  I think these words just meant so much to me today!

  The beach provides a great backdrop, the salt air clears the mind, the sound of the waves soothes the soul, the variety of different shells are like treasures from the ocean, one of a kind.  The same could be said about humans too, all slightly different, flawed in one way or another, washed up by life, and every once in a while somebody comes along who sees us as a treasure.  Grateful that Hope has crossed my path!