Hope is ...

Without hope, it's almost impossible to keep going on this roller-coaster of life. Many days, I’ve lived on the thought that, "Tomorrow will be better than today" - that's hope. Hope in something I don't see, but I believe in.
I recently read these thoughts about hope. In Erma Bombeck's book called "I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Go to Boise - Children Surviving Cancer," a group of kids who had cancer were asked to describe 'hope' as if it were an animal. Here are a few of the responses:

• "Hope is about two and an half feet tall."
• "He is covered with fur and it's fluffy."
• "Hope giggles."
• "When it talks, you're the only one who can hear it."
• "Hope raises its voice sometimes. It has to talk louder than fear."
• "Occasionally, Hope is shy and likes to hide."
• "If you don't take good care of it - it can die."
• "It will come to you only when you need it."
• "Hope has offsprings like any other animal. They're called 'Hopelets.' You don't keep them. You share them with other people who need one."

Kids can be profound. I found something in each of them that made me say, “Yes, that’s right!” I think my favorite is “Hope giggles.”
After reading those kid’s descriptions, I wrote my own. My descriptions for hope are -

• Hope is as comfortable as a soft, fluffy blanket.
• Hope helps you breathe.
• Hope can be knowledge - such as: knowing that broken bones heal.
• Hope is priceless.

How would you describe hope?