I never thought I’d go to reader Larry Parker for faith and hope part because he has been such an intellectual skeptic (no insult intended, Larry). But his e-mail (below) about his mother came just as I was having my own crisis of faith after reading my junior-high journal.
Thanks, Larry, for the important message of hope. Even if we’re not optimistic.

My mother’s exploratory surgery revealed NO CANCER. I was literally sobbing massive tears of joy (and relief) when I found out.
And that may not have even been the most wonderful part of this massive and amazing rallying of the Beliefnet community around me and my family.
You see, when my mom came to (she’s still woozy from the anesthesia, so we were able to take a quick break from the hospital), she mentioned something to the effect of, “I feel so much better, so now I can fight it.”
Even though we were laughing and joking with her, she didn’t realize it was from our relief — she thought it was to try to shelter her from the worst news!
When we explained to her, “No cancer,” she stayed just as serene. It was never about the outcome to her — it was about the journey. Ecclesiastes — “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.”

And, in other words, she had kept such a positive attitude, despite her pain, ALL ALONG PRESUMING the news would probably be the worst.
My closest Bnet friends (you) know I’ve had my disagreements with my mother about her attitude about how I treat (or in her opinion, don’t treat) my depression. I still disagree with her. But I would say two things:
1. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to still fight with her about such things; and
2. I’m learning from you, from her, from so many about the power of prayer — and about a lesson Beliefnet’s Christianity editor Patton Dodd has been trying to teach me, hope is different from optimism.
Even in depression, when optimism seems impossible, there is still hope. And as an inscription at the hospital read, “Where there is faith, there is hope. Where there is hope, there is everything.”
Blessings and GRATITUDE, Larry