Hope Laughs.

This year was suppose to be different.

Oh how I set myself up.

I get my plans in mind and forget His.

Then to have a year of dare?

Daring to live differently, on purpose, freely, courageously.

At the same time my heart struggles daily with one simple thing....hope.

This year has also been about daring to hope.

Hope for more.  Hope for bigger dreams.  Hope for things my heart wants but is afraid to admit.

Hope for dreams and prayers to come true.  

Hope is a good thing.

A beautiful thing.

I think at times that is why I am so scared to hold on to it.

When life beats you up you have a tendency to be a pessimist.  

Which means I am letting circumstances determine how I think and feel.

I am working on all of it and He is constantly sending reminders and lessons.

Like the book for book club, Beautiful Outlaw has shown me Jesus in a new way...and now re-discovering Him in the Word?  It makes my heart happy.

Kristen's series Storm has been so challenging and encouraging.  I have yet to listen to last week...partly because of being sick and partly because I am still pondering session 3.  Kristen said one thing that is constantly been on my heart that has helped me hold on to hope....

 

As always feel free to use this image as your desktop background. Just click on the photo and it will open in a different window at full size.

 

This has helped me so much on the hard days... our Hope has already come.  He is here.  When I think I can't do it any more or when it just seems to hard...or when I just want to give in to fear.... this phrase comes to mind.  Hope has come.

And then....there was Monday morning.

After little sleep I woke up still not feeling well and just plain grumpy.  I looked outside and it was cloudy and all I could think of was my bed.

I left for work and as I turned off our road...the sun was breaking through the clouds and I was struck with the gorgeousness of the morning.

Before I knew it I was laughing.

My heart was full of joy and hope in just that simple moment.

He had surprised me with beauty.

I realized...hope laughs.

The thing is...sometimes hope is simple.

It's the sun bursting through the clouds on a grumpy day that brings laughter.

It's the photo of my niece in her sunglasses saying the word ocean as we talk about our trip.

It's the smell of rain right before the first drop falls.

It's the smell of honeysuckle...and taking a trip down memory lane with trying to taste it.

It's a simple gift from a friend.

It's laughing until you are crying with a friend over something you discover and find well...odd.

It's thinking of you texts.

It's family.

So many simple things.

So much of our life is simply...hope. 

And sometimes hope is laughter.

 

P.S.  I promise I will be back to blog visiting and emailing soon.  Still on the mend from this cold/flu.  <3

 

Comments

[K.]

My, my , my how I needed this tonight. Hope laughs. Hope has come. Hope is a gift...

this needs to be my focus for the rest of the week.