HOPE

If there is one overriding characteristic of the women who companioned with me to produce this book, it would be their optimism. They made a commitment to hope. Regardless of the circumstances these women "hoped " for the best. They never gave up hoping for a better future.

What is hope? Allow me to draw from an acrostic of the word hope.

H Hope was an honest commitment to finding help and healing.

O Hope is optimistic and seeks optimal opportunity to serve others.

P Hope seeks peace and purpose. Hope finds properity in praise. Hope prays for the fulfillment of promised tranquility and prepares for painful decline. Hope pursues the greater, more meaninfgul potential in people.

E Hope is an exercise in encouragement. Hope is the earnest endeavor to edify and to alleviate

the negative and painful effects of war and evil.

Hope is a journey, not a destination.