A Blessing for Stubborn Hope This blessing is for hope: not the kind that sits politely, waiting for its name to be called, but the kind that bursts in with a reckless arrival. It is for the kind of hope that springs forth out of rocky soil, wiry but resilient, with crumpled leaves stretching toward the sunlight. It is for the kind that is repeatedly plucked up and discarded but somehow always returns, like a persistent weed which, despite the odds, defies death every time. This blessing is not for the kind of hope that sings, but for the kind that yells out into a noisy street, stamping its feet and refusing to be ignored. Because in a world with so much pain, the stakes are too high for any hope but stubborn hope. Pt1