My Bondage. My Freedom.

"There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 23:18

Oh man Oh Man. Hope.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12

Another lost job today has drastically affected my family. Of course not any where near to how it has affected theirs. But that was my selfish reaction when I heard their bad news.
What will I do now?
The couple who just signed a year lease to rent our home in Atlanta is backing out because of a recent lay off. SLAP. Looky there, plans change. While my initial response is anger, I know I can't blame them. But talk about losing hope....

A blessing of my new home in Tribeca is I'm a few minutes walk from the rivers edge.
Feeling quite sorry for myself, I strolled down to watch the sunset over America's symbol of hope, trying to grapple with my latest trouble. In doing so, I stumbled upon a self-effacing reality.
A plaque honoring Frederick Douglass hung right over the river stating that where my feet were planted was the exact place in 1938 in which he arrived alone in New York, impersonating a sailor and fleeing a life of bondage and slavery.
Quoted as saying when he arrived, "A new world had opened up to me."
I stood in that historical spot completely chagrined. Up against hardships I will never know and endowed with the gift of voice, this man transformed his life and others. As a fervent abolitionist, he fought for moral and intellectual improvement of his people,wrote and published his own newspaper speaking for the Union's cause and later was an adamant supporter for Reconstruction and Women's Rights. Talk about a renewed hope....

I'm questioning my future here. What is New York's offering? What is my longing unfulfilled? Will my hard work have a means to an end? And will my hope spring eternal?

According to research, Douglass had 3 key elements he lived by.
Believe in yourself.
Take advantage of every opportunity.
Use the power of spoken and written language to effect positive change for yourself and society.
He said, "What is possible for me is possible for you."

Do you have that kind of hope for your life? I do mine!