Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

Until the day when God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, Wait and hope

The Count of Monte Cristo (1845), ch. 117

Tonight I am thinking about how hopeful the human condition is.

I see a widow longing for the time she is reunited with her childhood sweetheart

I see a beautiful bride waiting for her husband to come home from war

I see a victim of domestic violence laughing

I see a friend enjoying her first love at 41

I see a homeless woman sign her first lease in 32 years

I see a first time home-buyer walking through the aisles of the home improvement store

I see a fiancée twisting the diamond on her left hand

All of these- I see hope. Some of them are obviously hopeful, others are defiantly so. It makes me wonder how and why some are painfully pessimistic and others choose bold optimism

I wonder where I lost my reckless daydreams

I admire those who are convinced the silver lining is always present no matter how tarnished

I am in awe of those who seek blue sky while dancing in the rain

I want to find my castles in the air

while there is life, there is hope. ~Cicero