In my last post I stated July is for juicy joys only because as valuable as joy is, it is often an elusive emotion, and this July proves no different. The Guadalupe River flooding that devastated the communities throughout Kerr County is as horrific a natural disaster as one could ever imagine. Everyone knows someone who knows a lot of someone’s, my Texas cousin told me. Looking for joy at this moment feels far from possible. And yet, little by little, we must crawl through the darkness, live with the sorrow, and eventually, scratch out some hope as the very word implies: “To hold hope in the absence of any justification for hope.” Somehow this is what we do when called upon in the very worst of situations. “To hope is to transcend one’s circumstances–to know that the circumstances are dire and choose to dream anyway” (McDonald). Tiny step by tiny step, we allow for a sliver of light to inform our dusky and deep sadness, and it is through these moments we will discover hope again.
Nine Cent Girl 