Fear vs Hope

The mood changes from worry to terror these days when workers see the boss or the HR person approaching. Every day the fear grows of getting a pink slip with the notation: "...exit the building immediately...". Whoever thought we would be living through such an awful time? What happens to a family who have had to leave their home because they couldn't make the mortgage payments? What happens when neither of the parents can find work? What happens when the savings are gone but the bills keep coming and the creditors are threatening? What happens when there is no more food on the shelves and no money to buy more? What happens to families who have no one to help them, to offer them a home, to care about them and care for them? Whoever thought our neighbors and friends would be faced with this unbelievable dilemma?

It may not have hit your neighborhood yet, but it's getting closer all the time. We don't have the power to "do over" some of our past mistakes and failures, nor is there any easy way to fend off what may be inevitable. Small towns and rural areas are perhaps better equipped to deal with the sorrows of recession because it's likely there are relatives near and certainly a sense of community, of sharing and caring. Some will offer real help, some will pray, some will put their faith in our president and our lawmakers. Some keep on trying.

However, I just read a news article that shocked my soul and made me afraid. A man and his wife were fired on the same day, went home and killed their 5 children and themselves. They had lost hope of things ever getting any better, and leaving this world seemed a better choice than living in it.

We need to rediscover hope. Hope's opposite, despair, leads to unthinkable actions and reactions. Hope is a powerful force that allows us to carry on, to seek alternatives, to think ahead to what we would do if we found ourselves in such difficult circumstances, as well as to think about what we can/would/should do for those who need help. Perhaps it's as easy as opening our minds and hearts and homes, and making sure that unfortunate folks can count on us luckier ones.

Tonight, Mike and I talked about what it would be like to have all our kids and grandkids living here with us. We decided that we would be crowded, but we would sure have a lot of fun. Our own little commune right here. I think Mike was already planting a big garden in his head.