Hope

I just finished reading the book Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, and it was such an incredible read in countless ways.  Kek, the main character, is a refugee from Sudan who is relocated to Minnesota to live with his aunt and cousin.  His brother and father killed in Sudan and his mother missing, Kek has little reason to hope.

But hope he does.  Somehow, Kek maintains hope that he will be reunited with his mother and find a place where he belongs.  The book is a beautiful exploration of Kek’s journey and his new life in America.  Hope threads through as a recurring theme through the pages.

So many quotes from the book jumped out at me, but one stood above the rest:

Hope is a thing made only for people,
a scrap to hold onto
in darkness and in light.

But hope is hard work.
When I was a child, I hoped to fly.
That was a silly, easy wish.
Now my wishes are bigger,
the hopes of a man,
and they take much tending,
like seedlings in rough sun.

In tough times, hope is essential.  Without it, the darkness can overwhelm.  Though it can be difficult to maintain, though it takes tending, hope is worth the work.

What a perfect reminder.