The title is a quote from one of my favorite hymns, written in 1976 by Carolyn McDade, called “Come Sing a Song With Me.” When she taught the song at a women’s state prison in Framingham, Massachusetts, she said she had to stop singing herself and listen to the women’s voices. “That song needs context—‘I’ll give you hope when hope is hard to find’—and they had context to bring to it,” she says.
In recent years, hope has felt a little harder for me to find. I long for it. My country and even the Earth itself are in trouble. We have a climate crisis we can’t seem to do anything about. Hate bounces from place to place like an evil stone from a slingshot. Blame is everywhere.
I think hope means believing good will come even if I don’t know how or when. We live in hope, and would not have lasted this long as a species without it. For dark times have come before us. History is full of them, and inspiring stories of people who overcame that darkness. The trouble is, they’re all history.
On this New Year’s Eve, the top trending tweets were #itsoktobewhite and #DeathtoAmerica. The dwindling majority of Americans is forever struggling with giving up our privileged position. And the way we handle our differences is not looked upon with favor in much of the world. That’s what I see in those two tweets, but I could be wrong. I long for strong leaders to show me some hope.
Here are a few who bring me hope today, when hope is hard to find:
Rev. William Barber, leader of the Poor People’s Campaign and author of The Third Reconstruction, an insightful book on what poor people of all races have in common.
Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator and presidential candidate, former leader of the Consumer Protection Agency
Greta Thunberg, Swedish student and environmental activist
Fr. Richard Rohr, Franciscan priest grounded in contemplation and compassion
Michelle Obama, former First Lady, lawyer, city administrator, community outreach worker and memoir writer
Who do you look to for hope? Let me know in the comments/reply section and I’ll put your name in the drawing for Listening Is an Act of Love, edited by Dave Isay, from the Story Corps Project.
The winner of last month’s drawing is Debbie Britt. She wins my copy of Sold On a Monday by Kristina McMorris. Congratulations, Debbie, and thanks for stopping by!
7 thoughts on “When Hope is Hard to Find”
Mary Jo Doig
This piece gives many options for hope, ideas from which we can each find the ones we connect with. Thank you for sharing your own hopes; I share all of your longings in one way or another. Most of all, I was deeply touched by the first paragraph, by the songwriter’s powerful listening to the incarcerated women to whom she was teaching her song. When I used to edit the SCJournal’s True Words from Real Women, I worked with a woman who worked with incarcerated women in TX. For years, she’d send in their stories, powerful poignant stories and I was so honored to publish them.
Time passed and my focus on facilitating writing changed to holding local workshops. Yet, I’ve always longed to work with incarcerated women. Late last year I met a former chaplain to a nearby state women’s prison. We developed and submitted a 10 week life writing curriculum to them recently. One of my hopes for 2020 is that it will be accepted and the door to my long-ago dream will open. Like you, I hold hope for responsible people to run our government who also care about our planet. Let us see what the new millennium brings. I have hope!
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lindawis
Wow, this is great, Mary Jo! I hope your proposal is accepted! I’d love to hear how it goes. Happy writing and teaching in 2020!
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Mary Jo Doig
I will, Linda!
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Susan Wittig Albert
Thank you, Linda, for this reminder that we need to look for what we can hold on to.
What gives me hope just now are the brave women and men who testified in the recent House hearing–people who simply did their job, said what they know to be true, and did it all with grace and dignity. It’s good to know that our government is made up of people like them.
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lindawis
Yes, it was good to see people willing to stand up for truth. Thanks for the reminder!
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Debbie Britt
The definition of Hope – the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen; a feeling of trust.
Listening to the news or reading the papers today does not give me much hope, I’m sad to say. There is so much anger and bitterness in this country and world. When did things get so out of control?
Many of us try to do things to help others, but what gives me hope are my grandchildren. I watch these young children as they navigate the world as they know it. They are being taught to be kind, loving, strong individuals who look out for each other.
My hope is that this will translate to the bigger world and eventually our world will be a kinder place to live. Personally, I look to God for grace to help this happen. The good news I see God in the eyes of children, we need to cultivate that for love of each other.
Thanks Linda for your inspiration!
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lindawis
I love this, Debbie: ” I see God in the eyes of children.” And the thought that hope is a feeling of trust.
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