The source of Hope

Hope is our connection to change, and to the Divine, and can never be lost

Hope is a complicated and strong emotion.

Hope, the desire for certain things to happen, is necessary for a change to occur.

Hope can give us strength to keep trudging along to reach our goals.

Hope gives us the ability to have patience and to wait for something to happen.

Hope is optimistic, the belief in a positive outcome or creative possibilities.

I heard that life plus hope equals change. And that hope is a connection with the Divine.

Hope (and pitchers) presented in Aesop’s fables

In Aesop’s fable The Crow and the Pitcher, it is hope mixed with logic that aids the Crow to drop pebbles into the pitcher to raise the water level so he can drink.

Also, in Aesop’s fable The Boy and the Filberts, it is hope mixed with greed that keeps the boy’s fist closed so he cannot get his hand out of the pitcher or jar.

(If you click on the titles above, it will take you to the Library of Congress and a copy of Aesop’s Fables. Here is the whole table of contents.)

In both stories hope is the catalyst that forms the creative idea for getting the gift— be it water or filberts— from the pitcher.

Through hope the Crow envisions water coming to the brim of the pitcher, so he can drink from it. Through hope, the boy envisions a fistful of filberts, but it is his greed that tarnishes his hope and keeps his hand imprisoned in the pitcher.

In each case, hope is necessary for the action to take place or the vision to be performed.

Image courtesy the Library of Congress

Seeking hope (a story)

There once was a young man and while on a journey to the city, he lost his hope. He sat on a rock by the side of the road, scratching his head and looking about. Another man pushing a wheelbarrow came by and asked the young man why he was sitting by the side of the road.

“I lost my hope,” replied the young man.

“How did that come about?” asked the man with the wheelbarrow.

“I don’t quite know. I fell asleep by a shade tree and when I woke up my hope was gone.”

“That is a pity. Have you looked for it?”

“Yes. Of course. I looked everywhere.”

“Well, I have a sack of seeds in my wheelbarrow that might help.”

“How could seeds find my hope?”

“It says ‘Hopeful Seeds’ on the sack. It might be worth a try.”

So, the young man took a handful of seeds and started to eat them as the two travelers walked down the road. As they walked, the man with the wheelbarrow asked the young man about his journey and where he came from. 

“Well,” said the young man, “I come from a village of dairy farmers, but I’m a musician.”

“How did you come to be a musician?”

“My grandfather showed me how to play the violin. But it was an old man by the name of Augustine that really taught me how to play. Then at the age of twelve my ears started to come alive. I learned to listen to the wind in the trees, I heard the syncopation of the babbling brook, the rhythm in the squeaky wheel and the beat of the blacksmith’s hammer. I heard music in everything.”

“What type of music do you play?”

“I play all kinds of music. But the music I like to play best is the music that comes from within me.”

“Can you play some for me?”

The young man took out his violin and bow and started to play. The most beautiful melody came from his violin. The man put down his wheelbarrow and sat with peaceful contentment as he listened to the music. In a brief time, other travelers stopped to listen and before long there was a small crowd clapping, cheering, and shouting “bravo.” Some even put money in the open violin case. The young man was pleased and took a bow. 

As the people dispersed and went on their way, the man with the wheelbarrow said, “I never heard such beautiful music and I’ve never seen such confidence and faith in one’s playing.”

The young man nodded humbly. He said, “Thank you.”

The man with the wheelbarrow smiled. “Hope is the last thing ever to be lost,” he said. “I don’t think you lost your hope. I think you misplaced it because you became weary from your traveling.”

“I believe you’re right,” said the young man, “I’ve been worried about what would take place when I got to the city. But what about the Hopeful Seeds I ate?”

“If you believe they helped you, then they did. Hope is the seed and faith is the fruit. Hope is necessary for a positive change. Hope is the future and faith is the now. You just demonstrated your faith in your magnificent playing. And your smile tells me that you found your hope.”

The young man and the man with the wheelbarrow continued their journey to the city, but now they both journeyed more hopefully.

In this story, the Hopeful Seeds represent a deeper source: prayer or the connection with the Divine.

It could be the seeds of hope that were planted in the future and are bearing fruit in the faith of the now. We plant seeds of hope in each other, and hopefully they will blossom into faith and a relationship with the Divine.

God bless and have fun!

Larry

P.S.   Thanks to all my friends and their wonderful stories.

P.P.S. Parisian Phoenix Publishing has highlighted my two books at the Blue Flame Events Store in Palmer Park Mall.

If you are looking for a copy of The Death of Big Butch, a novella set in 1974 that discusses friendship, responsibility and fatherhood, or Coffee in the Morning, my short story collection that combines fact, fiction and fantasy in ways that celebrate family life, you can find them at the store.

P.P.P.S. Barnes and Noble at the Southmont Shopping Center on Freemansburg Avenue and Route 33 is hosting a Parisian Phoenix Publishing Celebration on July 20. I hope to stop by and tell some stories. And any of you could go to the customer service desk at the store and ask them to order the books for you.