(Editor's note: This is an expansion of a recent Thanksgiving Day toast which doesn't make it plagiarism - it was my toast, but rather that was a warm-up)
In homes around the country at this very moment, there are people making a toast over the Thanksgiving feast that they have prepared and are hopefully sharing. I know, I have made a few myself over the years. And they are extolling the blessings of health and happiness and prosperity and good fortune and the love of family and friends. These are all favorable circumstances to note and praise - letting the universe know how appreciative we are for that which we have.
But this year, I chose to be thankful for an aspect of life that is a bit more amorphous and intangible, but no less important: hope. Hope isn't something we usually think of as possessing or pursuing, but without it, life - or the future of life without it - can seem pretty dim. There are some who have so little but still are rich in hope - their perspective is buoyed by the prospect of better days. And there are others who have so much, but can't see past the moment, and seem almost hope-less.
As a cancer survivor I know that the belief in hope is within my power, and have seen that faith proved valid. So there is hope in my life for a sustained manageable medical situation. Similarly, as a parent (and now grandparent), I know that there is justifiable hope for the continued good fortune for my children and their offspring (with the requisite amount of time and patience). But for far-too-many in our society, there is little prospect of improvement upon their overwhelmingly challenged life of multi-layered issues and obstacles.
We almost take for granted the fact that the sun will come up tomorrow morning and there is a very good chance that things will be better; we'll find a way to work things out - the barriers will seem a little less lofty and the solutions a little less elusive. That's not necessarily true for everyone (or a lot of people) and I am grateful for having seen trouble and seen the resulting "day after" - which proved that being hopeful was not only a worthwhile invested emotion, but a degree of optimism that I was lucky to have seen come to fruition. So in this season of celebration and giving thanks, let me add the fact that I feel fortunate that there is hope in my life and it has more often than not proved to be warranted.
