Hope

There's a song called "It might be hope" by Sara Groves that has come to mean a lot to some members of my family, especially my sister. A year ago, we had no idea whether we had reason to be hopeful or not. Her son Jack was waiting to be born, and with a tumour nearly the size of his head, we didn't know what the future would hold for him.

Most of you know the "rest" of the story. Jack was born healthy and beautiful, the tumour disappeared, and he is now a joyful, expressive and fun little boy. Nearly every Sunday in church, I get to hold him while he sleeps and I could hardly feel more blessed.

A few weeks ago, at his cousin's birthday, I took this picture of Jack. It struck me that this picture tells a story of Jack's place in our life - a story of hope and looking toward the light, even when it feels like fear will never loosen its grip on us.
Hope has a way of turning it's face to you
just when you least expect it
you walk in a room
you look out a window
and something there leaves you breathless
you say to yourself it's been a while since I felt this
but it feels like it might be hope

A few days ago, I decided to try my first attempt at painting a face. Jack's hopeful expression seemed like just the right place to start.

If I were to name this painting, I would call it Hope.
If you want to hear the song, check out the video my sister made for Jack's baby dedication. I'm warning you, though, have a kleenex handy.