the rix mix

"Joe had been sedated for about 10 days and on a respirator. Tuesday, they had him breathing on his own for a while and were going to do the same yesterday. Today I went to see him and he was sitting up, eyes open and no respirator! He had pulled it out and was breathing on his own. He was still quite groggy from the sedation, but we'll keep our fingers crossed that this may be a good sign and he'll at least recover as best he can."

But there are many things and events in which we can see a reason for genuine hope, namely, the seed-like presence of that which is hoped for. In the seed of a tree, stem and leaves are already present, and this gives us the right to sow the seed in hope for the fruit. We have no assurance that it will develop. But our hope is genuine. There is a presence, a beginning of what is hoped for. And so it is with the child and our hope for his maturing; we hope, because maturing has already begun, but we don't know how far it will go. We hope for the fulfillment of our work, often against hope, because it is already in us as vision and driving force. We hope for a lasting love, because we feel the power of this love present. But it is hope, not certainty. From "The Right to Hope" by Paul Tillich

Labels: family