Heaps-o-Hope, Hello!

People and things that give me hope for 2014

Pope Francis
He really is the man in white, the good guy riding in on his '84 Renault.  I love the way the pope has shaken up the status quo, both within the church and in the larger world.  I love how he has turned his back on the glitter and turned the church's--and the world's--attention on the poor.  He reminds me that reformers re-form, which isn't always a comfortable process but one that invariably leads to new things.  My heart is fuller with this wise and brave man leading the Catholic Church. 




Nebraska
...the state, not the movie.  Although, if I do happen to see the movie, it's possible I will add it to this pile.  For now, though--and forever, I suspect--it is my home state that fills me with love and hope.  I am deeply moved by its land, its people, its relative absence of people.  When I spend time outdoors in my state, I am reminded of the earth in its infancy, of dinosaurs and virgin prairie, of my smallness in the grand, sweeping scheme of things.  And all of these things leave me breathless and grounded.  May those cuckoo cats on the coasts continue to say "Eh?" when they hear of Nebraska.

Libraries

While the gap between rich and poor grows into a cavernous maw, I can think of no other public place in the United States that offers more leavening agents than a library. Providing virtually unlimited access to millions of ideas--in the form of books and magazines, archives and the Internet--and a group of smart individuals to help people connect with those ideas, public libraries are the embodiment of the First Amendment, my favorite law ever written.  Libraries are those magical places where people may gather, speak out, express themselves, find themselves.  And all for free.  They are excellent weapons against poverty--both economic and intellectual--and it would behoove our government to fund them more lavishly than it funds wars and corporations. 


My Children
While I see bits of both Mark and me in our children, what I mostly see in them is them.  And that makes me happiest of all.  Eric and Allison  give me great hope in the future, and not because of their potential earning power or grades or extracurricular activities.  They are not resumes any more than they are finished products.  What I love most about them is their willingness to work hard and their ability to keep their feet on the ground.  Oh, and the fact that, for reasons beyond my comprehension, they still openly love their mom and dad.  Sigh.




Long Underwear

My friend Kristie has been talking up long underwear for years, but she cuts her own hair and teaches math for a living, so you can understand why I have been hesitant to get on that bandwagon.  This year, though, I caved and bought some Cuddlduds and let me tell you that two legs of stubble can't hold a stick to the soft hug of wearing Cuddlduds.  In fact, I'm wearing them right now and I swear my writing is snappier, warmer, more comfortable to read!   While I doubt that Cuddlduds would've made my Summer Top Ten list, today, at least, they feel very significant and important.  Besides, sometimes, I just wear my Cuddlduds around the house with no pants on, looking like a 19-century pugilist, which is kind of a cool bonus. Although my family might disagree. . . . .