Today I turn fifty. Wow. That’s going to take a while to sink in. I feel young on the inside. But, though I really miss my energetic, thinner, more limber 20 year old body, I can’t complain. I’m wiser now. More content. And having lived fifty years gives one a perspective that is more hopeful.
There’s a lot to be worried about in this world. Teens committing suicide from bullying. Wall Street and corporate greed. So many people out of work and losing their homes. Politicians lying and only serving themselves. Some days it seems like there’s nothing good left in this world.
Then the other night, I went to my daughter’s Jr. High school parent orientation. I listened as teachers, coaches, choir teachers, and band leaders talked with such enthusiasm about their jobs. Even the principal seemed excited about teaching teenagers. I couldn’t believe it, but I could tell they were genuine in their joy. Some of the teens from the choir sang, a few “steppers” performed and these kids were good. Teenagers! Aren’t they all supposed to be disrespectful, spoiled, drug addicted bullies? Maybe we feel that way because so often we only hear about the troubled ones. What’s that old news adage? “If it bleeds, it leads?” But if we look around we can notice small acts of kindness, people giving of themselves, helping each other. Families struggling through hard times and still loving each other. So, today I’m giving myself the birthday gift of hope. I choose to keep believing in the good things in this world. I believe that right will win over evil, and that love will triumph over hate and fear. And isn’t that what Romance novels are all about? Love wins in the end. If you want help feeling hopeful, listen to the new song by country artist Dierks Bentley Homehere
If you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing, here are words:
West, on a plane bound west, I see her stretching out below
Land, blessed motherland. The place where I was born
Scars, yeah she’s got her scars. Sometimes it starts to worry me
Cause lose, I don’t wanna lose Sight of who we are
From the mountains high To the wave crashed coast
There’s a way to find Better days I know
It’s been a long hard ride Got a ways to go
But this is still the place That we all call home
Free, nothing feels like free Though it sometimes means we don’t get along
Cause same, no we’re not the same But that’s what makes us strong
Brave, gotta call it brave To chase that dream across the sea
Names, and they signed their names For something they believed
Red, how the blood ran red And we laid our dead in sacred ground
Just think, wonder what they think If they could see us now
It’s been a long hard ride And I won’t lose hope
This is still the place That we all call home
And oh yeah! My new Blaze, Once a Hero… is on shelves now! My hero and heroine both learn to hope again.
Tell me something you’re hopeful about and I’ll send one of you a copy!

This entry was posted on Monday, February 27th, 2012 at 6:00 am and is filed under Jillian Burns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.