Quote of the Day:  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in faith so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13, Common English Bible

Leo and Eric, Summer 2011
The word for Dec. 12, 2013, for the Advent Photo A Day Project is Hope. I like the verse that rethink church provided, so I used it as my quote of the day. I posed the question to the boys, and some of the ladies at the Primo Art Spa today, how they would illustrate hope. 

Eric, my 13-year-old said, “Other emotions would be easier to photograph, like joy or love.” Then, he thought of a while. “I think a good picture for hope would be of a dog at a place like HART (our local animal shelter) sitting behind a gate and people standing around looking at him.” This, of course, reminded me of when we got Leo. Our cat Matilda had recently died, so I agreed to go to HART “just to look.” When I sat down, Leo leapt on my lap. It was pretty clear that he chose me. Then, Zach took a turn holding him. It was getting late on a Friday night, so we went home to “think about it.” I called as soon as I got up the next morning to tell them to hold Leo, and we’d be in by noon to take him home. The boys went in to play with him and see the other cats. Zach was holding him when I came in with the pet porter. I set it on the floor. Leo jumped out of Zach’s lap and walked right into the porter! We all were shocked. The HART employee said, “He really wants to go home with you.”

Hope is waiting to be chosen.
Hope is getting up in the morning, dressing, and venturing out into the cold.
Hope is buying a swimsuit in January!
Hope is getting a second opinion, trying an experimental drug, or one more treatment.
Hope is praying for a cure.
Hope is believing that things will get better.
Hope is calling the marriage counselor before the attorney.
Hope is buying new underwear and shaving your legs and wondering who might walk into the coffee shop and say “Hi.”

Leo’s first Christmas with us. The boys said, “He thinks he’s a present.”
He still likes napping under the Christmas tree.
Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  How would you illustrate Hope?