Never, Never, Never give up

I grew up watching Charlie Brown cartoons on the local television stations.  Yes, I am rather old.  We did not have VCR's or DVD's or rentals.  (Heaven forbid!  I must have lived with the cave men!)  We had to wait all year until the show that we liked came on the network again. 
We used to get the TV Guide in the mail, and my brother, sister and I would go through it and circle the shows that we wanted to see.  Charlie Brown was one of the shows that we could all agree on. 
I loved that bald-headed kid!  His wisdom is totally amazing to me, even after all these years.  One of the classic scenes in of the Charlie Brown movies, was the one you see at the top of this post.  The picture is of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown.  No matter how many times Charlie Brown tries to kick that ball, he always ends up with the same result - he is flat on his back, looking at the sky as Lucy pulls the ball and makes him fall and than laughs as she holds it high in the air.  But, though it happens over and over again, he NEVER gives up!

I have found that life can be quite a bit like a Charlie Brown comic strip.  It doesn't always give us the things we want.  We don't always get the things that we hoped for or wished for.  Our dreams don't always come true.  Our heart can get hurt.  Our knees can become feeble.  Our hands can hang down in discouragement.  Sometimes, we can feel as if there are no happily-ever-after's to be found. 
But hope can make a difference, one situation, one task, and even one person at a time. 
Even when you feel as if there is not a lot that you can do to change unhappiness or problems that surround you, remember that you can always do a little. 
And that one, small and simple little bit, can make all the difference in someone else's world as well as your own.
Expect to have your hopes fulfilled.  Expect to have joy in your day.  Expect to have your prayers answered in wonderful and joyous ways.  Expect your heart to be lifted and your tears to be wiped away.
The winters in our lives will not last.  After the freezing storms have come and gone, and the cold (finally) disappears, we will see and bear witness in the promise of His glorious spring. 

"All human wisdom is summed up in two words -

wait and hope. "

Alexander Dumas