with hope

The sun rose in ribbons today. 
Ribbons of dusky blues and golds.  They stretched across the sky like arms flung open, from the east to the west, before they gave way to the pink-orange glow of the sun. Pink-orange must surely be the color of joy...

I kept the television off for most of the weekend.  There was a time when I could not get enough information {Oklahoma, Colorado, New York} and now I flip the screen to black, knowing the alternative is too much information. I don't want to listen to the sorting out... as one person's speculations contradict another's. My heart simply can't take it...

My son's jaw fell at the news, and his eyes filled. I had no answer for his question...how could someone be so cruel?  Through my own tears I gave only what I know. That is seems impossible right now, but God will cast beauty on even this.  Maybe not today or tomorrow, or even next week... but I have to believe that it will come in the stories of families and heroes.  He nodded, silently, while his eyes begged for more. With a deep breath and a rolling tear, I give him the last smidgen of hope I know. When we are filled with fear and our mind takes us to the very worst thing that could happen to us, and that the worst thing would be death... we need to hold on to the hope that in the very next moment we would be in the arms of Jesus. 

And since there is no changing history, so this hope-filled heart wants only to imagine that moment... His arms full of clamoring children and laughter and love.  And just maybe, a bit of dancing in that pink-orange glow of joy...