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Hope

As a people we have an intense need to gather. The proof is in our Thanksgiving holiday.  Traditionally the evidence is found in the airport travel, on the highways and at the dinner table. So much was different this year as we found ourselves without sporting events, theaters or restaurants. This year was different, particularly at the Thanksgiving dinner table.  The sense of reflection that accompanies the holiday was magnified this year. Despite the number of snarky holiday movies that depict the contrary, we like to be together. It is not an action that we take for granted rather it is how we find joy.

The health and safety of my family with Covid 19 in the air inspires thankfulness more than ever before. Each year after a contemplation on our heartfelt needs and desires prepares us for the pre-Christmas season known to most Christian faiths as Advent. Advent is about expectantly waiting.  Advent reminds us that we are a people of hope.

Advent always occurs as the winter closes in, stealing the light and warmth of the sun. I’m not a big fan of winter. I hate the cold. Towards the end of my teaching career, I taught the ‘zero period’ which meant I was modelling energy and enthusiasm to a sleepy and often late arriving group of students every morning at 7:23am. While I never had a problem with an early start, the darkness was mentally draining. One December morning I turned on my TV before I put my feet on the floor and heard the weather report announcing the sunrise at 6:46am and sunset at 4:31pm. On that morning I understood the origin of pajama day. It barely seemed worth it to get out of bed and start the day. I don’t remember if that day was a good one or a bad one but it started with a giggle.

Advent is about hope. Hope is facing the unknown, the scary, the unique situation that no one has ever faced before. It’s an apt description for the four-letter word of the year 2020. Hope is filled with resolve not to turn a blind eye and like Pollyanna figure it will all work out. Hope can be an act of defiance, not surrendering to despair or believing in something that only feels good in the moment.  

Defiance, yes, but not in the sense of selfish ignorance of facts and evidence like the virally infamous ‘Costco Karen.’ The spring and summer gave us many moments of realization that as a society we have fallen short on our commitment and true understanding of social and economic inequality. Collectively people made their voices known that change had to happen and it had to happen now.

The coronavirus has infected our lives with an awareness of the many ills of society.  News of a successful vaccine may cure the virus but it won’t cure our society. The coronavirus opened our eyes in a different way. It has changed us and we don’t yet know in what manner or how much.

Hope is the will to believe and to act. For the most part we have proven that we are up to the challenge.  Hope is perseverance. Perseverance is possible when there is a clear route or plan.  I can’t say that I love the cold or the snow but my plan to wear a hat, coat, gloves and have a snow shovel gets me through to spring.

For the first time in months, I have hope that we will conquer this virus. That I will gather with my daughters and grandchildren in the same room, that I might see a show in the city or go to dinner with friends and hangout all evening. Those are the small, personal and still important things that I hope for.  Perhaps for our country and for the world the hope isn’t much different: that children won’t be separated from their families and will be treated equally, that all people get to share economic prosperity and that we find joy in each other’s company.