Beaten, battered...Hope!

I was looking at this little figurine I have...she looks a lot like the one to your right. Only mine looks a little different! This is a Willow Tree product and her name is "Hope" (notice the lantern). I was sitting last night on my bed looking at her standing on my desk and I thought, "I should probably replace her." The reasons for these thoughts were as follows: her wings are crooked, her hand (the one that's down to her side) is...missing, and there is a crack in her neck where I SUPERGLUED HER HEAD BACK ON. No, I'm not getting any anger out on this small, helpless thing. I've moved a couple times recently (college housing) and she's been on tall dressers with books and junk shoved on them so she's had her fair share of falls. Anyway, after the thoughts of replacing her came I kept thinking about it. She is more "Hope" now than she was when I removed her from her bubble wrapped, styrophomed, sheltered beginning. Her hope has been tried and she's still there, lantern and all. Cheesy metaphor, but it's what I can do for now. This year has turned me into her. It's been a ride and it's not over yet. But here I stand, full of hope and understanding more about it now than I did before. (Note to friends who may not have seen me recently: my left hand is still in tact.)