8/13/2022 When my pain reduces the weariness sets in and they form sort of a tag team and I only have brief respites between the rounds. The last few days have been the weariness part of the team and I find myself nodding off. What does this have to do with hope? A good question. I need hope is the answer. In what at times seems a punch drunk state I need hope to believe I can make it to the next round. I need hope when the pain rips through me and it is easy to believe it will never end. I NEED HOPE! YOU NEED HOPE in the midst of what you face!!! Hope is as essential as food, water and air.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me hope, beyond hope.

I need grace when people tell me to not worry I still have a long life ahead of me. Do not talk to people who are in severe pain about longevity for they may punch you. I need the grace to not punch. Thinking I have a long life when I am hurting intensifies the pain and weakens hope. It is not that I want to die or to kill myself but I want the pain to go away. When you are with someone who is in pain have the grace to try to understand their pain and say what you would like to hear.

From my Grace Journal to remind me of our need not for agreement but grace in our relationships.