What Gives You Hope?*
Hope is a call for action! My hope is being tested. Is yours?
What gives me hope is the leadership from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. These leaders have been honest, transparent, responsive, and empathetic. They are communicating clearly and consistently. They do not sugar-coat the hard truths. They have created a vision out of this pandemic by naming priorities, calling on subject-matter experts for advice and following it, praising and thanking people for their hard, courageous work. They are not making promises they cannot keep. They are not worried about getting re-elected. They are worried about the here and now. They are focused on you and me. They inspire me to do and be better.
What gives me hope are the people we take for granted like the sanitation workers, the first responders, the grocery store employees, the postal service employees, and others who are on the frontline with the healthcare people, keeping society together while the rest of us work at home. They are making us rethink healthcare for all, the importance of a living wage, unemployment rights and labor rights as issues of ethics and integrity.
“Nobody looks good in their darkest hour. But it’s those hours that make us what we are.” – Karen Marie Moning
What gives me hope are people who are still wanting to get married and create a family during this pandemic. Love nurtures hope.
What gives me hope are people who are still planning to take that once in a lifetime trip, still planning to start their company, still planning to get their degree, still planning to write their book, still creating art, and still planning to play baseball! They see this pandemic as a speedbump to their plans and dreams.
What gives me hope are fight songs!
- Queen’s We Are the Champions
- Foo Fighters Foo in Cesena, Italy, with a 1,000 rockers playing Rebel, Rebel
- The Piano Guys version of This Is Your Fight Song
- The Angel City Chorale doing their version of Toto’s Africa
- Pentatonix’s version Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah
- Heart’s tribute to Led Zepplin at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012 singing Stairway to Heaven
- Sara Bareilles’ Brave
- Playing for Change’s version of Stand By Me;
- and my ultimate go-to fight song is Melodysheep’s tribute to Robin Williams “Seize the Day.”
Finally, being an inclusive, ecumenical Christian working my way through the season of Lent, Easter gives me hope!
What gives you hope?
* Featured image: Ian Wilkinson and Ishmael updated the iconic mural in the River Arts District, Asheville, NC.
