Ask away!

Ask away! by debgrant

I have a friend who speaks of searing moments in her childhood when her spirit was squashed by adults who did not at all appreciate her curiosity. Fortunately, it did not stop her. Her sense of wonder stimulated learning, adventure, resilience, and possibility.

I’ve been thinking about hope a lot lately. Very often it comes in the form of a question, “What gives you hope?” I have a variety of answers. You do too. It may be a sunrise or the heroism of a health care worker. Exclusive symbols of hope are hard to find. The ancient ones saw a dove with an olive branch, a rainbow, an anchor - as symbols of hope. Many others symbols have hope as a tag-a-long with faith and love. The anchor was curious to me. For the first time, I asked why? Was it because it holds the boat from drifting away when it is not underway? I learned that an anchor is a symbol of hope not so much when it is dropped but when it is hoisted. Anchors aweigh is when the journey begins. It is a moment filled with hope.

This morning I started to read a new book, “Frequently Asked Questions about the Universe” by Jorge Cham and Daniel Whiteson. I just had to share with you this quote from their introduction.

“It seems that asking questions and the desire to know is in our hearts. Many would say that wondering about the nature of our cosmos and our place in it is one of the joys of being alive. Of course, it might be frustrating to not know the answers right away, or to only end up with more questions…but there’s power in just asking the questions. You see, asking the questions supposes that it’s possible to find the answers, which we believe is an act of hope. What could be more hopeful than believing that the universe and all its wondrous mysteries can one day be unraveled and understood?”

So, my friends and fellow sojourners,

Here’s to the little girl who would not stop being curious!

Here’s to all the scientists who asked questions for a living!

Here’s to teachers who encourage their students to ask questions!

Here’s to leaders who want to know what happened so that we can learn from it!

Here’s to anyone dragging an anchor who decides to lift it!

Here’s to anyone who has the courage in the midst of despair to be curious, to dare to ask questions, to choose not to wait for signs of hope, and chooses instead to be a sign of hope simply by asking the questions!

Anchors aweigh! Ask away!

Peace,

Deb