HOPE

originally uploaded by Judd Patterson.

i used to love fireflies.

oh man, how i used to love to watch them.

and sunrises.

i used to wake up early just to watch the sun come up over the trees.

i used to make time, i used to seek out encounters with the fascinatingly ordinary phenomena of the earth.

sometimes i remember my youthful delight and i just wish i were that girl again. sometimes, the fascination comes back, and i just sit back, tilt my head, and take it all in. i close my eyes and listen to the night animals. i breathe slowly, i let my mouth fall slightly open as i gaze at the clouded night sky, waiting for lightning to strike. and in the moment that it does, and when the fireflies light up the darkness with their glittering dance, and when the sharp top crest of the circular sun breaks out above the horizon, i know there is so much more than me that matters.

 i feel a depth within myself that i didn't know existed. 

i find peace and meaning that for a brief second give me hope.

hope for my future as a worthy individual.

hope for my dreams to become something more.

hope for my love to expand beyond my imagination.

the fireflies give me hope.