Category Archives: Hope

Cock-eyed optimists

Posted on April 18, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

Do you remember that scene from the film South Pacific, where Nurse Nellie Thorbush looks out across the islands and sees what she thinks are clouds but then realizes they’re gun smoke, and that even in that South Sea paradise … Continue reading →

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Life, hope and God come to us in the form of people.

Posted on March 23, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

A teacher, whose job was to visit children in a city hospital, was assigned to a boy who had been badly burned. The child was in so much pain that he barely responded, and the teacher felt ashamed at putting … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, God, Hope, Life, love, Loving other people | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Teaching horses to fly

Posted on March 23, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old Jewish story about a man who’d been sentenced to death, but who obtained a reprieve by assuring the king that he would teach his majesty’s horse to fly within the year- but with the proviso that if … Continue reading →

Posted in Facing the future, Faith, Hope, Positive Thoughts | Tagged | Leave a comment

There’s nothing to fear

Posted on December 23, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a story about a man from Canada who left the frozen north for a holiday in the Florida Sun. His wife was due to follow him next day. When he got to his hotel he sent her an email. … Continue reading →

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Hope is more than wishful thinking

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The end of the Cold War saw the emergence of some amazing figures in Eastern Europe. One of them was Vaclav Havel, a Czech poet and former political prisoner who went on to become the leader of the Czech republic. … Continue reading →

Posted in Hope, Perseverance, Persistence | Tagged | Leave a comment

Rainbow’s end

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

According to Irish tradition at the end of every rainbow there’s a pot of gold guarded by a leprechaun. The only problem is that you can never find the end of a rainbow. As you come closer to what seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Covenant, God's faithfulness, God's love, Hope, Hope of Glory | Tagged | Leave a comment

It will be better higher up

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Dwight L. Moody used to tell of a saintly old woman who was always cheerful, even though confined to a dingy attic apartment. A friend one day took a wealthy woman to meet her. When they reached the second floor, … Continue reading →

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Past glories that no one else remembers

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I know of a man who was once voted captain and most improved player on the school basketball team. The proudest moment of his life was the day when, in front of the entire student body, he was presented with … Continue reading →

Posted in Achievement, Futility, Hope, Hope of Glory | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

‘But the work shall not be wholly lost’

Posted on September 7, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I like reading the inscriptions on tombstones. Often they speak of sadness, sometimes of futility, and sometimes of hope for something better. Some people even compose their own. Benjamin Franklin was one. The epitaph he wrote for himself says: ‘The … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Epitaphs, Hope, Hope of Glory, Life, Life's journey | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tread softly

Posted on September 7, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a wonderful line in one of Yeats’ poems that says: ‘Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’ I used to remind myself of these words when my daughters were in their teens and were full of wonderful ideas … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreams, Hope, inner yearning, Kingdom of God, Living Life, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment