R.A.D.I.C.A.L. Thoughts

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work. You don't give up."
Anne Lamott, author

Anne Lamott is a writer who touches a chord in my heart. She is a writer and a human being who just seems to be trying to make her way in life the best she can. She resonates with a lot of people. Her books are best sellers. I think what makes her work appealing is that she doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but she just keeps showing up. And sometimes I think that's all any of us can do. During my divorce in those early days, it was often as much as I could do to get my body out of bed. Every morning showing up was a question. Staying under the covers was an appealing option. But when we manage to pull ourselves to our feet and face the day again, we gain courage as we go along. We keep on making individual right choices. We continue to look for moments of joy. We keep doing little things to help others and ourselves. And slowly the sun shows itself again. Anne mentions in one of her books that a preacher said that hope is "a revolutionary patience." It's an active, quiet assurance that God is in control and that your life will be truly good again. And not just sort of wishy, washy make-do so-so good. But extravangantly, wonderfully, incredibly good. So take heart.

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord."
Psalm 31:24 (NIV)