Hope.

The darkness of the nights bring with them a surge of thoughts that the daylight tends to mask and delay. But the dark does not hide them. They creep from the shadows and demand to be be heard. To have their moment out loud in the silence of rest.

The voices of doubt, of fear, of anxiety, of questioning, of loneliness are unrelenting in their approach. They are an army of loud shadows. They come in the form of questions, of songs, of internal dialogues. All aimed at insecurities. Ready to stamp out the cracks of light. Darkness aims to bring The Nothing.

But daylight comes and brings with it the voices of connection, of love, of touch. Of Hope. Hope is the saving grace from The Nothing. Hope is the current running underneath that graciously and courageously feeds the soul and keeps darkness at bay, resigned to live in the shadows and only to gain a brief audience when the soul becomes tired from the battle. But there is always Hope, ready to refill the coffers and stand as a constant reminder that control can be gained and the path can be altered once again. Hope makes us survivors, not victims. Hope brings faith in self and in others. Hope brings light. Hope brings a breath, Hope brings the potential for love. Hope brings life.

So when all seems dismal and it feels like the shadows of The Nothing are creeping into the openness Hope is there to stand guard and hold us up until we can hold ourselves in the light.