To consider how our lives are shaped not just by the reality of loss
But also by the glimmer of hope that others hold for us even
when we cannot hold it for ourselves, cannot sense it for ourselves.
Let us pause to consider hope not as a precondition for action
But as a consequence of action, of doing the next right thing,
Of living our lives as if there were something larger than ourselves
Alone, even when we have no sense of what that something might be
Or why it proves so elusive, especially in times of struggle and uncertainty.
We pause now for a moment of silence to make room in our hearts
And in the heart of our community for something like hope to emerge.
May we breathe our way into new ways of loving.
May we live our way into new ways of thinking.
And may we act our way into new ways of hoping.
Now and always, Amen.
