Hope

Today's title comes from a discussion I was having at brunch this a.m. and also from a reading from the devotional book "Jesus Calling", I read it the other day and once again, it seemed to be the right thing at the right time for me.
We started the morning pretty laid back, I tend to be awake at 5:30 a.m. so I did some reading and then we had a lazy breakfast in bed before beginning on our day. Some very good friends are visiting their family in Calgary, they are from St. Louis, Missouri so we arranged to get together for brunch this a.m. Brunch was fantastic, there were pancakes with a blueberry compote and real whipped cream to top them off, bacon and sausages, poached eggs and fruit salad; they outdid themselves in their preparations and I didn't see anything left on any of the plates people were bringing back to the kitchen.
While we were visiting Trish, Kris and I started talking about naming babies and how babies seem to grow into their names. Trish shared that when she was pregnant with her daughter, she thought she would call her Charlotte (I think that's what she said anyway, I might have the name wrong ;). When the baby was born, the name just didn't seem to fit, but Nicole did and so it still does! :)
I said that I had picked out Hope Elizabeth but none of my four boys fit that name either ;)
I'm not sure why the name of Hope appeals to me so much, but if I had ever had a girl, that is what I wanted to call her.
This is the reading from the book 'Jesus Calling' referring to Hope -

'Hope is a golden cord connecting you to heaven. This cord helps you hold your head up high, even when multiple trials are buffeting you. I never leave your side, and I never let go of your hand. But without the cord of hope, your head may slump and your feet may shuffle as you journey uphill with Me. Hope lifts your perspective from your weary feet to the glorious view you can see from the high road. You are reminded that the road we're traveling together is ultimately a highway to heaven. When you consider this radiant destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road ahead becomes much less significant. I am training you to hold in your heart a dual focus: My continual Presence and the hope of heaven.'

Following our wonderful brunch, we met a few other people for a quick coffee and catch up and now we are waiting for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to come and visit us.
A very nice way to spend a Saturday, indeed!

Take care