Hope and Hope

So obviously, Hope has a double meaning to me these days. There is our 2 year old daughter(tomorrow is actually her birthday!). Then there is the Hope that comes after the trials of life. Gunner was born 8 weeks ago today, and my life feels like I am headed towards healing. I occasionally have thoughts that keep running through my mind as a reminder of the many blessings that I have experienced.

When I rock Hope before nap time and bed time, I sing some hymns and primary songs to her. (Trust me, I sing quiet enough so that only Hope must endure my singing voice!) I have always loved the hymn, "We Thank Thee, Oh God, For a Prophet", but at first I couldn't remember the words. So, I learned the first verse and added it to our sleep time ritual. A few weeks before we learned of Gunners condition, I decided that I also wanted to learn the 2nd verse. Having the desire to learn the second verse to songs, is not usually something that I do. The nagging in the back of my mind, pushed me to pick up the hymn book during sacrament meeting one day several months ago.

The second verse has helped me through some very trying times recently. When I first discovered how the song had a double meaning of Hope to me, I was overwhelmed with the love and gratitude I felt for Hope (yes, both of them). The second verse goes...

When dark clouds of trouble hang over us
And threaten our peace to destroy,
There is HOPE smiling brightly before us,
And we know that deliverance is nigh!!!