I Believe in Hope

As I write with this pen I want to tell you what I believe. I believe in hope. Hope is the engine that keeps people going. I believe it’s the inner flame that keeps people alive. I know it is for me. When you hear my story you will understand why.

Several years ago when I was little there were two people who inspired me and I knew would be lifelong friends. They were great people. Chaz was “the man.” He was an expert pilot who liked to practice flight simulations on his computer with me. He was also a devoted doctor.

Chaz’s wife Kathy was a great gardener. She would always invite me over to help. She was also a lawyer and the best artist I ever met. Chaz and Kathy were there for me when my parents were busy. They were the best neighbors a kid could have.

Life at the time was as great as a double chocolate fudge sundae with nuts and a cherry on top….until the day I learned about death. It was a Saturday afternoon. My dad and I were watching a movie when a man rang our bell. It was a reporter from the St. Petersburg Times. The next thing I knew death hit me right in the face. I learned that my beloved neighbors had died in a plane crash. They were flying in a small aircraft, which another doctor was piloting. It crashed while landing and the three perished. All those times of fun and joy would be only memories now.

But as the years rolled by there was a new future and hope. Chaz and Kathy had a daughter named Morgan. A while back she got married and moved up north, but would come back to Florida to see friends and family even after the horrible tragedy. Two-and-half years ago she and her husband had a baby named Campbell. Campbell is a happy, healthy, and playful toddler. Whenever they come my family and I visit with them and see how Campbell is doing. Each time she gets bigger and smarter. Campbell is the new generation of hope.

There is a popular song from the 1960’s called “I Believe” which is a metaphor for hope. The last line is, “Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf, or see the sky, then I know why, I believe.” This summarizes my own feelings about hope.

I always think about this great loss in my life. But Campbell has given me hope for a new future. Campbell is like the delicious chocolate filling in a lava cake. During Christmas of 2010 Morgan had another baby – a little boy named Asher.

What excitement! Life goes on. The sun rises and introduces a new day on Earth. I feel there is good in the world.