Hope with Feathers

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

. . .

-Emily Dickinson

Earlier this week as I looked up into the sky, I noticed the clouds were as thick as chowder . . . but the sun peeked out still. Its presence indicated that through this darkness there was hope for a brighter, sunnier cloud-free day. And that takes me into the present state of affairs in which the world finds itself. It’s almost Christmas!

People are struggling as more and more get laid off in America. But throughout the world there is much sadness. The total state of Apartheid the Palestinians are experiencing at the hand of Israel is criminal. The fact that peace-loving Israelis are practically being ignored and forced to take part in a system they don’t believe in is also criminal. But there is hope. Only this week the Israeli government allowed the media and humanitarian aid into the isolated region. Will there continue to be struggles, starvation, and even death? Yes, there will. But will there also be salvation on some level? Yes, as people become more and more aware of the situation, not even a stubborn parliament can stop their ears and continue to do nothing. Hope is like the water that breaks down the stone. It takes forever, but the result is dust; and in this case, there will eventually be a sort of freedom for the people of Palestine and Israel as they begin to unify and put aside their differences.

It has happened in South Africa. The people arose. Both black and white defied a racist and unjust government to protest the inhumane treatment of one part of the population. Although there is still much to be done, the freedoms that were implemented were tantamount to climbing Mount Everest, a seemingly insurmountable feat accomplished by the outrage of the country and the greater outrage of the rest of the world.

That sun is burning brighter and those clouds still linger but cannot overcome the intensity of the sun’s rays. So it is that hope will triumph because those at war, those suffering through famine and disease, those going through inner struggles hidden from the surface just have to cry out a little louder, protest a little longer, volunteer a little more, and go on another day. Tomorrow is a better day. And wasn’t it just a few more days until the sky cleared and became the brightest blue? The sun stretched to fill the entire sky? It was there all along, and hope is a sign that we may one day live in peace, where there is no war, famine, or disease.

I struggled with hope this year. It has been a rough one for me and the rest of the country. I’ve been slighted and had to forgive. Forgiving is difficult, and unless I had taken that first crucial step, I would have stayed in a cloudy state. No love can enter in a blackened heart. I discovered that the mere desire to forgive could begin to clear up the pain. I discovered by wanting to love and get past all the slights, I could be like that sun peeking through the dismal clouds. In a few days or weeks or months I would find myself feeling joy.

My heart had been broken by a dishonest lover. The saying goes, “Hell hath no fury, than a woman scorned.” And in my case this was very true. I was so angry that I couldn’t even feel the joy that I found from my treks in the mountains, or from witnessing the sunrise, or by listening to the bells ringing at my front door—these things that sustained me in the past. I was so angry I couldn’t get past the tears that became my constant companion. But one day I spoke aloud into the stillness of my misery, “I want to forgive, I want to love, I want to be happy, and I want to get past this.” And I did in a matter of days. And not only did I forgive this dishonest lover, but I forgave all the dishonest lovers that had hurt me before, and I began to experience the joy that was always there waiting for me to notice as I took my walks, listened to the birds singing, worked on a song, or hugged my mother. The mere desire to see the light that was always there was all that I needed to see it.

As it has been for me, so can it be for the rest of us. If we can get past our differences and have the merest desire to move past our anger, we can learn to live together in harmony, a little at a time, and like the slow dripping of that meager drop of water, we can turn the stone of our bitterness into dust. We can make room for love in our hearts and burn away the hopelessness in our lives.

As the song goes,

Let there be peace on earth

and let it begin with me.

Let There be peace on earth

the peace that was meant to be.

With God as our father

brothers all are we.

Let me walk with my brother

in perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me

let this be the moment now.

With ev’ry step I take

let this be my solemn vow

to take each moment and live

each moment in peace eternally.

Let there be peace on earth

and let it begin with me.

-Lyrics by Jill Jackson Miller

http://www.angelfire.com/in/omega2/LetThereBePeaceOnEarth.html

Written by Lisa Trimarchi