Like many others of you, some years ago I gave up making New Year’s resolutions. I never was able to stick to any of them for more than a few weeks, at the most two months. I like to choose instead a word to help me through the year. This year’s word came instantly, when I heard a man on a television interview–don’t even recall for what or when or anything else he said, beyond,  “When you have hope, you can go on.”

The statement jumped out at me, and I thought: Isn’t that the truth? It truly is hope that gets us from point a to point b, or in between, we would just sit down and never even see point b. That is exactly what has happened to me on a number of projects, responsibilities, dreams and desires.

I have to say that my personality is one that drops hope with the regularity and speed of which taxes rise. I can be hopeful one instant, and be looking down a hole and seeing hope disappear in another. This year, at least this minute, I have grabbed hold of hope, and am holding on, because I realize the import.

Okay, my word for 2013 lasted in memory about three months, scarcely longer than any of my resolutions. Yesterday I had to go back and look it up. I think that’s why need is a blessing. Our attention is grabbed by need. I need hope on a daily basis, so it isn’t something I am likely to forget. When I write a book, I jot notes on post-it notes, and they end up all over the place. I figure this should be a good method to keep my word Hope in front of my face.

One perfect place for a post-it note of Hope is over my teapot. I spend a lot of time with that teapot. In fact, my teapot is a never-ending source of hope!

When the world says, “Give up,”
Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.” ~ anonymous

My current hope is that Little Dude will give up singing about ‘poop’, and the rain will stop, and the roof won’t leak too badly before the new roof is on. To update you, I have one third of a new roof, managed before the workmen had to stop because of weather.

What’s your word for 2014? Encourage us!