Give us Hope my voice is calling
Can't you see the look in my eyes?
Can you feel my hand is reaching?
Give us Hope and we will show you the way
This is a theme song that is in my son's chorus program and every time I hear them singing it, it brings tears to my eyes. Between the tune and the lyrics, there is something about the word hope that sends a feeling of peace through our mind. Knowing that we can see, feel or be hope is healing - so any chance of seeing the slightest remote light of hope can do wonders for anyone that is feeling lost or wants to feel hope.
We need a lot of hope with what is going on in this country right now - especially with our younger generation. They are growing up too fast and being exposed to violence too early on in their lives. Every day I wake up and I say a prayer of protection for my son because of the news that we hear. The news about a school bus being overturned on the way to a school trip, the news about another school shooting, the news about budget cuts being made left and right in public schools where arts and music are not being valued , the news about immigrant children being separated by their parents and the list can go on and on. I just feel we have taken a step back somewhere - and I don't know how we got there. There is an epidemic of some kind in this country where children's lives are just not valued - how many more school shootings do we need to have for legal action and legislation can take place? Does it have to boil down that the only way something like this is going to change is if it lawmakers are affected by it personally? What is going to be the point that will get positive change to start occurring? I don't have the answers.
But what I do know for sure is that this year has been a year of activism for me - it has taken me back to my early social work days where it was important to stand up for what we believed in, fight for what is right and advocate. This kind of activism is necessary to feel hope - because so much of what we are fighting for is beyond our control. So I started this year with the Women's march - not for me but for my son - so he can grow up to be an advocate for himself and for the women in his life. Our next march was March for Our Lives - to end gun violence and this too was with my son - because it was about him and his future. In between that time, I have been sending postcards, calling congress on healthcare, net neutrality, and the list can go on. It has been exhausting. But I do it because it gives me hope of living a better future. And I will continue. My next fight has been about budget cuts in public education system. It affects my son, and it affects his future. And yet we keep hitting roadblocks. But I don't stop. I will not stop because hope exists in my heart. And if we don't have hope how are we able to live and breathe.
If you are reading this and can resonate with what I am writing about - I ask that you continue or make a pledge to be the change. Our kids need to feel that someone is looking out for them and feel safe- and it is our job as a community to do that for them. Let us move onward....
P.s. - it has been over a year since I last wrote on this blog- the words didn't flow and so I decided to act - but at some point we need to write about what we see around us - and journaling is one way to do that.
Today's Journal Prompt:
My voice is calling .......... (write for five minutes non stop)
Happy Journaling!
Can't you see the look in my eyes?
Can you feel my hand is reaching?
Give us Hope and we will show you the way
This is a theme song that is in my son's chorus program and every time I hear them singing it, it brings tears to my eyes. Between the tune and the lyrics, there is something about the word hope that sends a feeling of peace through our mind. Knowing that we can see, feel or be hope is healing - so any chance of seeing the slightest remote light of hope can do wonders for anyone that is feeling lost or wants to feel hope.
We need a lot of hope with what is going on in this country right now - especially with our younger generation. They are growing up too fast and being exposed to violence too early on in their lives. Every day I wake up and I say a prayer of protection for my son because of the news that we hear. The news about a school bus being overturned on the way to a school trip, the news about another school shooting, the news about budget cuts being made left and right in public schools where arts and music are not being valued , the news about immigrant children being separated by their parents and the list can go on and on. I just feel we have taken a step back somewhere - and I don't know how we got there. There is an epidemic of some kind in this country where children's lives are just not valued - how many more school shootings do we need to have for legal action and legislation can take place? Does it have to boil down that the only way something like this is going to change is if it lawmakers are affected by it personally? What is going to be the point that will get positive change to start occurring? I don't have the answers.
But what I do know for sure is that this year has been a year of activism for me - it has taken me back to my early social work days where it was important to stand up for what we believed in, fight for what is right and advocate. This kind of activism is necessary to feel hope - because so much of what we are fighting for is beyond our control. So I started this year with the Women's march - not for me but for my son - so he can grow up to be an advocate for himself and for the women in his life. Our next march was March for Our Lives - to end gun violence and this too was with my son - because it was about him and his future. In between that time, I have been sending postcards, calling congress on healthcare, net neutrality, and the list can go on. It has been exhausting. But I do it because it gives me hope of living a better future. And I will continue. My next fight has been about budget cuts in public education system. It affects my son, and it affects his future. And yet we keep hitting roadblocks. But I don't stop. I will not stop because hope exists in my heart. And if we don't have hope how are we able to live and breathe.
If you are reading this and can resonate with what I am writing about - I ask that you continue or make a pledge to be the change. Our kids need to feel that someone is looking out for them and feel safe- and it is our job as a community to do that for them. Let us move onward....
P.s. - it has been over a year since I last wrote on this blog- the words didn't flow and so I decided to act - but at some point we need to write about what we see around us - and journaling is one way to do that.
Today's Journal Prompt:
My voice is calling .......... (write for five minutes non stop)
Happy Journaling!
