There is Always Hope

This morning I made two strangers cry. The first person was at Starbucks where I was to meet up with my friend Amy and Tara. I went to get in line when a man walked up in front of me. He noticed that he cut in front of me and said sorry I didn’t mean to cut and motioned for me to move forward. I replied no that’s fine go ahead. He insisted so I did. I said thank you and asked him how he was. He said “so far today was good.” You could tell that his words did not match the expression on his face. I ended up saying, “well then I guess you’re off to a good start, but I believed that his day could only get better.” He laughed and then asked me if I was on my way to work? I said well, “I’m a Realtor and I am off to find new clients, but things have been hard.” I laughed and asked him if he wanted a card and he said yes.

For some reason Starbucks was extra busy this morning so things were taking a little longer than usual. So to fill time we continued to talk. He started sharing about his life and asked me if there was any hope for him to buy a house being that he had to file bankruptcy? I of course said yes that there is always hope and shared with him the time line and things to do to rebuild his credit. At this point he had tears in his eyes. He started to tell me that he had to file bankruptcy due to medical bills for his son. His son had to have an emergency surgery to save his life, but being that it was in an out of network hospital the cost were great. I told him that I thought he was a good father and said that I would pray for him. At this point he was definitely in tears. I told him how in times of trouble we may not be able to control our circumstances but we can control our outlook. I shared my heart and he started to smile. I joked saying see the day is already looking better. By this time our drinks were ready so we would part ways. He grabbed me and gave me a big hug, said thank you and walked away smiling. About that time one of my friends showed up. My friends and I talked for a while which was just what I needed. They always have a way of making me smile.

I had to run to FedEx to fax something and as I sat down to the computer to look up something this lady sat down at the computer next to me and asked me if I do Christmas cards and I said usually I do but haven’t this year. She looked really sad and worried. She started telling me that she had to postpone her surgery until January. I told her that I was sorry she was going to have to have surgery. I asked her if she didn’t mind if she could share what she had to have surgery for and she said to get a cancerous lump out of her breast. I told her that I was sorry and how scary of a time this must be for her but I believe that she is going to be ok. I asked her name and asked if I could add her to my prayer list. Without hesitation she said yes please do and I said done. She asked me what church I went to and what affiliation I was so I told her and she smiled. She then asked me to look at her Christmas card that she designed and asked me if it looked good, so I did. I told her it was prefect. I saw she had grandbabies so I shared with her that 6 months ago my daughter Shannon had my first grandchild, my grandson David. We talked about our families and we both smiled at the thought of them. Her eyes started to fill with tears and I told her to look at me and she did. I grabbed her hand and looked her right in the eyes and told her I know it is hard but don’t let worry get the best of her and that I knew that she would make it through this healthy!! I told her that it sounds like they caught it early and that I just knew everything was going to be ok. I shared with her my Breast Cancer scares and told her that she is not alone. I than took out my business card and handed it to her. I told her that I wasn’t trying to sell her anything but I wanted her to be able to have someone to talk to if she needed to. At this point she was really crying and reached in her purse and handed me her card as well. She asked me if my email was on my card so she could send me her Christmas card. I told her it was. At this point she was done with what she had to do and got up to leave. She took a couple steps away as she was wishing me well and turned back around came over grabbed me and gave me one of the biggest hugs I have ever had. She said thank you and I told to remember that she is not alone and that there is always hope.

Everyone in this world needs hope and someone to care. It doesn’t cost anything but time to listen to someone. If you ask me it is time well spent. It seems like everywhere I turn I run into people desperate for hope. People everywhere are feeling alone. Trust me I know life can get very busy and overwhelming. But what I am seeing is hope is contagious. All it takes is just a little faith and maybe for someone just to care and listen. If you are going through a difficult time right now I want you to know that there is hope and that everything will be ok. I want to encourage you to reach out to someone, give a listening ear and give them a gift of hope. As I said it doesn’t cost anything but maybe a smile.

I am so grateful that God is my reason to have hope because I know that He has promised me that He will never leave us or forsake us. Because of the love He has for us and for the cross we all can have hope. So my prayer is that if you don’t know God as your personal Savior then please seek Him and trust me He will meet you where you are. Your life doesn’t have to be prefect, you don’t have to have everything figured out, and guess what you are never far too gone for His love. He loves you for who you are and desires to have a relationship with you. He will be there for you no matter what and can turn our ashes into something so beautiful and all you have to do is put your trust in Him. With God nothing is impossible and He is and always will be our hope.