Part Three: Hope Defined

by RaeLani Mathias

Hope is a primary color. It has a lot of smaller words under it, like other smaller colors. All those other smaller colors are easier to define but when you try to define a primary color, it's a lot harder. It isn't easy to define the primary color because you can define the bottom colors with the primary. But when you try to define a primary color you can't use the bottom colors because they aren't big enough to explain or even express the primary color because the primary color is so powerful.

Hope is one of the main building blocks for our world's society. It seems to glue things together in a way that no one can see, but just encourages a feeling that life will be okay. It gives comfort to those who are scared.

Hope is a word that most people use - like a person who hopes for a better day tomorrow for things to start a new way, and a person who hopes for a good harvest.

I have hope for two things right now. Hope that the government can get its act together before something bad happens, and hope that my mom doesn't give me another essay like this one again.

I think hope is important. It gives a sense of strength and a will to break free from what holds you down.

Meet the newest member of Journey School

For Morty Sunshine's first birthday he got a little sister! Marylou [pronounced mar-YUH LOE] Hope Stanfield nee Kruckman was born on May 15^th, almost exactly one year after her brother. He was born around four in the afternoon, she was born around five. Not only do these two share a birthday, but their mama, Gjynni, decided to have both of them when we were gone.

Marylou has a last name of Stanfield because we had left that morning for the district track meet which was held in Stanfield. We were gone all day and didn't get back until seven pm. Our neighbor told us that Gr, Rae's livestock guardian dog, started barking around five, heralding Marylou's arrival into our world.

Marylou is named after the donkey in the movie Holes. As the story goes, Marylou was over one hundred years old, and really liked onions. We're hoping Marylou the calf doesn't eat too many onions when she comes in to milk. We pronounce Marylou as mar-YUh LOE because in the movie Stanley Yelnats is teaching Hector “Zero” Zaroni to read and at one point in the movie Zero and Stanley take cover under a boat named Marylou. But because Zero is just learning to read, he pronounces it with all the letter sounds.

It's one of our top favorite movies and we had a hard time choosing between Marylou, Kissin' Kate Barlow, or Anabel Lee. If she had been a boy we would have named her Theodore or 'Arm pit'.

She's named Hope 'cause this kind of hope is as vulnerable and as vital as our little calf.

Part 2, Hope Defined

by Jeff Mathias

In our continuing exploration of our family's definition of Hope, here is Jeff's offering. Click on the title of the song to listen to the version we first fell in love with from the movie "Thelma and Louise". The lyrics are below. While you're enjoying the tune, please scroll through to see some of our photos we believe illustrate Hope.

House of Hope by Toni Childs

Children laugh

Children cry
They're the future of our time
Will they hold us to blame
For all the things we've turned away
I don't like what i see now
I don't like where we're going
I don't like it, no
You and i, we're getting older now
You and i, who will show them
If we don't show them how

I want to know is it true
Is there a house of hope for me and you
I want to know is it true
Is there a house of hope for me and you

Children laugh
Children cry
They're the ones who will survive
Will they know what we've sold
Nature's gift we've turned for gold
I don't like what i see now
In my life, what i see now
I don't like where we're going
I don't like it, no
You and i, we're getting older now
You and i, who will show them
If we don't show them how


In this house of hope
In this house of hope
In this house of hope

You and i, we're getting older now
You and i, who will show them if we
Don't show them how