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You are here: Home / Writing Lab / Blogging / Where Would We Be Without Hope?

Where Would We Be Without Hope?

August 9, 2012 By anotherjennifer 16 Comments

hope (noun): the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best

A few years ago, I remember asking a co-worker about her progress on the solicitation of donations for the nonprofit where we worked. She was looking for donations of gifts for female residents of a short-term residential substance abuse treatment program. A 28-day program where women typically leave with as many days of sobriety as their stay.

Some of these women were in treatment with their children, and it was only because the program allowed them to stay with their children that they were in treatment at all.

Presents on Christmas morning were the least of these women’s worries. But, who wants to wake up in a place that’s not home on Christmas morning and not get at least one present?

My co-worker responded to my inquiry with “I asked and sent a hope and a prayer along with it.”

My response was “We shouldn’t have to send a hope and a prayer. People should just give.”

That’s easier said than done, of course. My perspective was that these women deserved to have a gift for themselves and their children on Christmas morning. Treatment isn’t easy, especially in a residential rehab setting. Contrary to some beliefs, there isn’t a magic wand in rehab that suddenly turns your life around. Plus, who wants to be in a treatment facility during the holidays?

Presents didn’t have to be big. Just enough to show the female clients that they are worthy of a gift. That they have hope for a healthy future. Or any future at all. As surprising as it may seem, some had never been given the gift of hope.

My co-worker knew from experience that people didn’t always see it the same way. It’s hard to give to a person who may have hurt more than they have helped in the past.

In the end, as it happens every year, every resident received a gift on Christmas morning and so did the children (even some that weren’t living at the facility). Kind people, churches and organizations donated things that the women and their children could use when they left treatment – clothes, AA books, a special stuffed animal that would stay with them forever and be a symbol of their new lives.

Everyone deserves a second chance, if you ask me. And, yes, sometimes it takes a few chances.

But, without hope, where would we be?

This post is part of a Hope relay! Jenn at so this is love wrote a beautiful post called This Little Light of Mine and passed the torch to me a few other bloggers. As we celebrate the Olympics, Melanie Crutchfield had the fabulous idea to pass the torch of “Hope” around the blogging community. The idea being that she has asked some fabulous folks to write about Hope, and then we ask some more fabulous folks to write about Hope and before you know it, Hope is spreading around the blogging community! Melanie is going to compile all of the posts she can at the end of the Olympics and host her own version of the closing ceremonies.

I invite any and all of you to write on the topic of Hope, but I am officially passing the baton of Hope to Cynthia at Withywindle Nature, Michelle at Callia’s Corner, Alysia at Try Defying Gravity.

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Filed Under: Blogging, Life, Philanthropy Tagged With: blogging torch, charity, hope, Olympics

Meet Jennifer

jennifer iacovelli barbour dugout canoe nicaragua

Jennifer Iacovelli is a blogger, copywriter, author, consultant, speaker, do-gooder, single mother, lefty, pie-hater, bacon-lover, Syracuse alum, Maine dweller and lover of life.  Read More…

Comments

  1. Alysia says

    August 9, 2012 at 7:27 am

    This is beautiful! Thank you! I have a lot to think about with hope now…
    Alysia recently posted..Drive My CarMy Profile

    Reply
    • anotherjennifer says

      August 9, 2012 at 8:38 am

      Thanks, Alysia. I can’t wait to read your post!

      Reply
  2. jen says

    August 9, 2012 at 10:00 am

    Beautiful job Jennifer. I can so relate to the sentiments here.
    jen recently posted..Wordless Wednesday- Oh darn!My Profile

    Reply
    • anotherjennifer says

      August 9, 2012 at 10:46 pm

      Thanks, Jen!
      anotherjennifer recently posted..My formula for writing, publishing and sharing blog postsMy Profile

      Reply
  3. jamie says

    August 9, 2012 at 11:34 pm

    So beautifully written. Hope keeps us looking forward.
    jamie recently posted..Welcome, it’s our SITS Day!My Profile

    Reply
    • anotherjennifer says

      August 10, 2012 at 10:12 am

      Thanks you, Jamie! Hope does keep us looking forward.
      anotherjennifer recently posted..Philanthropy Friday: The Thank You ProjectMy Profile

      Reply
  4. Melanie says

    August 10, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    I LOVE this. Thank you so much. The hope posts are really all over the map, but what I love about yours is that it’s reminding me that so many people need to be GIVEN hope. They need to be reminded that hope exists. The need a little seed of hope, with which to grow a future. A needed reminder. Thanks again.
    Melanie recently posted..Vengeance ShoppingMy Profile

    Reply
    • anotherjennifer says

      August 10, 2012 at 3:25 pm

      I’m so happy you enjoyed the post, Melanie. I can’t wait to read all of the posts in the end. What a wonderful idea. Thanks for starting this blog relay!

      Reply
  5. Jenn says

    August 11, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    WOOHOO!. I KNEW you’d be an awesome contributor. And make me a little teary. You are an awesome advocate, thanks for spreading HOPE! 🙂
    Jenn recently posted..Things I Don’t UnderstandMy Profile

    Reply
    • anotherjennifer says

      August 11, 2012 at 4:48 pm

      Aw, thanks Jenn! Yours made me teary as well. I can’t wait to see all the posts at the end. I’m so glad you passed the baton to me. It’s a great project.
      anotherjennifer recently posted..Philanthropy Friday: The Thank You ProjectMy Profile

      Reply
  6. Michelle says

    August 14, 2012 at 2:05 pm

    Oh no! I missed the main event, however, I’m still going to work on a Hope post and pass the torch to others.
    Michelle recently posted..Vacation Recap & the Weekly ChaseMy Profile

    Reply
    • anotherjennifer says

      August 14, 2012 at 8:47 pm

      That’s great, Michelle. I was kind of late writing my post, since I was in NYC most of last week. The posts have been beautiful and inspiring. Definitely worth continuing!
      anotherjennifer recently posted..Windows on Wildlife: A Stowaway Grasshopper and a Hunk of DucksMy Profile

      Reply
  7. Cynthia says

    August 14, 2012 at 2:58 pm

    Thanks for passing this on to me, Jennifer! I’m looking forward to writing my Hope blog post this week!

    Reply
    • anotherjennifer says

      August 14, 2012 at 8:49 pm

      Awesome, Cynthia. Melanie posted a “Closing Ceremonies” with links to posts written during the time of the Olympics (trackback is below). They are all so great. I’d love to see it continue.
      anotherjennifer recently posted..My Giving Pledge: July DonationMy Profile

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Hope 2012: Closing Ceremonies « Melanie Crutchfield says:
    August 13, 2012 at 6:18 pm

    […] Presents didn’t have to be big. Just enough to show the female clients that they are worthy of a gift. That they have hope for a healthy future. Or any future at all. As surprising as it may seem, some had never been given the gift of hope. -Jennifer at Another Jennifer […]

    Reply
  2. The Gift of Hope says:
    February 17, 2014 at 5:22 am

    […] following post was originally published on August 9, 2012. It was part of a blog relay in honor of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The idea was to write about and […]

    Reply

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