“Hope is praying for rain, but faith is bringing an umbrella.”
Unknown
If you are hoping for this post to end soon, skim through the pics and leave me a comment and/or a link to your own WQW post. I love to read your responses! Read at least a couple of links. They are great!
Featured Religious Celebration Bloggers
- CATH’S CAMERA
- JUSTBLUEDUTCH
- LADY LEE MANILA
- LADY SIGHS
- LOVING LIFE
- MY FOREVER
- NEW2WRITING (WRITE PHOTO)
- POETRY IF NOTHING ELSE
- RAMBLES OF A RARING WRITER
- SECOND WIND LEISURE (SUNDAY STILLS)
IT’S EASY TO PLAY ALONG WITH #WQW
This weekly writing challenge runs from Wednesday through Tuesday at noon. The only rule is to use a quote. LOL! If you want to participate, create a pingback to link your post. Not sure how to do that? See how to create pingbacks here. Be sure to link to the most recent post, not my page. I don’t see links to my page.
For More Ideas about HOPE and/or FAITH
- INKDROP
- KEEP IT ALIVE
- LADY LEE MANILA
- LADY LEE MANILA ON VACATIONS
- LADY LEE MANILA ON MOTHER’S DAY
- LOVING LIFE
- LOVING LIFE MOTHER’S DAY THOUGHTS
- NEW2WRITING WRITE PHOTO CHALLENGE
- RAMBLINGS OF A RARING WRITER
- SECOND WIND LEISURE SUNDAY STILLS
- YOUR BLOG POST LINK GOES HERE
Definition of Hope
Noun: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Verb: want something to happen or be the case.
Definition of Faith
- complete trust or confidence in someone or something. 2. strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
My Choice Quotes for Hope, Faith with Random Pictures for Challenges This Week
“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.”
—Barbara Kingsolver
We want to shine like diamonds, so we set goals. Don’t you think that part of living within your hope is what WOTY, resolutions, and setting goals are all about? I also think making our choices and acting on them goes deeper than surface resolutions.
A Moving Movie Example of Hope Turned to Faith
We watched “Molly’s Game” Monday night. Even though the film was about a girl who lost her place in the Olympic downhill skiing event when her ski came off mid-air, the motivation of why she tried so hard to succeed layered the story. Her hope was to always win at whatever she did and to keep her name clean. Faith cost her hours of practice and taught her to keep going no matter how tired she was. She overcame serious injury, surgery, an abusive boss, and danger threatening her very life. Maybe her deepest motivation was to earn her father’s love, which she felt she did not have and never understood why he seemed to love his sons and not her.
The crux of the story revolved around her upcoming trial for running illegal gambling. She was misunderstood by so many yet at her own peril she held firm to faith and her self-imposed responsibilities to others. When asked why she responded,
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!”
Molly used this quote from “The Crucible”
Using the quote added the depth to this story that Thomas Foster talked about in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. The 1953 play, “The Crucible,” written by Arthur Miller about the 1692-3 Salem witch trials seemed to mirror what Molly was going through at the time. Her attorney’s daughter was reading the book at the beginning of the film. Molly made a comment about the book during the brief encounter she had with the girl. The play briefly came into focus several times throughout the film. Encounter with the daughter and the play unobtrusively moved the plot along, thickening it like creamy zesty corn chowder.
What Hopes Are Left?
“It’s always something, to know you’ve done the most you could. But, don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last!”
—Charles Dickens.
What is it that powers us/me so deeply that we can’t help but aim our efforts and hopes in that direction? In other words, what drives our hopes? The word CURATE resonated with me, but why?
Hope to Travel and See New Things
Hope to Leave a Legacy for Someone
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
I Corinthians 13:12 NIV
The verse in I Corinthians is the hope of the future. We don’t know much, our perspective is like looking through a foggy or glazed window. So I can only guess what moves me toward my hopes. I have no natural children and no grandchildren, so who is my legacy for? And why do I feel the urge to leave one anyway?
As I, like all Baby Boomers, reach my later years, I have fewer years left to plan and look forward to than those I left behind. There is less life to curate. Has my life been so random that I need to start now to make things right?
Curating Baby Steps
I don’t think so.
- I’ve always loved to teach and encourage people. I planned to be a teacher when I was a child and became one. Yay me!
- I wanted to become a consultant, an expert in my field before I was even a teacher, and I became one. Yay me again, right?
- I wanted to write a book and have it published before I died, and I did. I wanted to give back to my community in service above and beyond my job, and I did. Yay, my blog and Arcadia books!
- I wanted a good marriage and peaceful family relationships. I’m happy to report no earth-shaking quarrels this week, month, or year. Yay, my dad for wanting a divorce and my mom for hating divorce. Yay, my husband who insisted on getting some good counseling when we hit a rough spot.
- My spiritual gift is encouraging and I hope to continue to use it. Yay, a pastor long ago who diagnosed my gift.
- I hope to enjoy life beyond death in heaven. Yay, my personal belief in Jesus Christ.
I think YOU are the reason to leave my legacy.
“Hope is a waking dream.”
—Aristotle.
What do I hope to accomplish by curating the days and minutes I’ve been given this year? What’s left for me to accomplish?
- Writing: I want to leave something meaningful in writing – deep and layered that others will read years from now which will make someone think about their own lives. By faith, I’m going to start working on my book again this year. It’s a fictitious book about a woman in her fifties and her close friends who are single for various reasons, the secrets they’ve kept, and their search for love. But mostly, I plan to concentrate on my blog and make it a work of art, education, and inspiration.
- Photography: I would also love to share beautiful pictures from the moments in my life for people to enjoy. Like Ansel Adams or Dorothea Lange, I would like to take a few pictures that will arrest someone for a few moments and make them think about the subject. By faith, I’m going to practice new skills I learn, take more pictures, curate and correct them, and enjoy myself. By faith, I’ll keep taking pictures to match challenges that come up.
- Blogging: Sadje wrote on her blog, Keep It Alive a great post about challenges recently that tells exactly how I feel about them.
- I think I want to inspire others to seek faith and hope. I believe that if I can hope and achieve my goals, if I can hope and be loved, and if I can sin and be forgiven, then anyone can be.
- Fitness and Health: I hope to stay healthy and not be a burden on anyone. I work hard to stay fit and healthy.
Update on DVT, Pulmonary Embolisms, Pneumonia, Torn Meniscus, and Cancer
“The miserable have no other medicine, but only hope.”
-William Shakespeare
Accidentally, I had the blessing of having a near-death experience this past year when I played pickleball and tore my meniscus. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Who knew? Maybe the injury saved my life. Blood clots are silent killers. Mine spoke up. I put my faith, not only in God but in three or four lovely doctors in Scottsdale, AZ to save my life.
- Veins: I lived and am going into my 10th or 11th surgery (I’ve lost count.) on Friday to remove still more clots. These are supposedly not new clots. A filter to protect my heart and lungs from loosening clots has been in place for eight months Friday. One doctor told me they are meant to be in place two and it might have to stay there.
- Pulmonary Function: My lungs are clear and I passed my breathing test with flying colors yesterday. My oxygen level was 95.5. I can quit using Advair, an inhaler that costs $47/month.
- Oncology and Hematology: My 4th cancer medication after breast cancer surgery in 2019 is finally successfully regulated and does not cause any more side effects than thinning my hair. (One of the medications I took was known to cause blood clots and I quit taking it in January 2021 after my left leg swelled and turned red – a BIG red flag in retrospect! It went down the next day when I quit taking the medication and stopped sitting so much.) I can quit taking the $500/month blood thinner medication as soon as my filter is removed. (It only costs me $47/month, thank goodness). I had a DEXA scan last week, so I’ll know in a few days if my bones are still good.
- Knee: As far as I know, my meniscus is still injured. I don’t have much pain, but it is still swollen and it snaps. I’m not playing pickleball but I have walked over 5,000 steps on average every day since my first surgery in September.
I hope these experiences have made me more humble and thankful for every day I live. I could curate a list of people to whom I am grateful, and it would be so long that you’d fall asleep reading it.
Suffice to say, if you ARE reading this post, and I hope you are, then you are on my grateful list.
Coming Up on Always Write
- Story Chat Summary for Anne Goodwin’s “The Power of Verticality”
- Thursday Doors at Dan Antion’s Blog, No Facilities I went crazy shooting up Prescott Downtown for doors and window pictures.
- PPAC – Downtown Prescott Public Art treasures on Friday. There’s still time to post on this week’s PPAC post until Thursday at noon. (“Hello Kitty,” as Johnbo said in a comment.)
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
53 responses to “WQW #16: Which Is Which Hope or Faith?”
Happy Mother’s Day!
https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2022/05/08/happy-mothers-day-2/
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Lovely, expressive poems, Lady Lee. Happy Mother’s Day to both you and your Mom.
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[…] I hated to take a break from my challenges, PPAC (Photographing Public Art Challenge) and WQW (Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays) but I had spotty internet, little time, and I’m not good at posting on my […]
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my holiday post 🙂
https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2022/05/02/holiday-quotes/
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That first poem might be my favorite poem ever.
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[…] I’m linking today’s post to Marsha Ingrao’s WQW #16 […]
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Hi Marsha, one of my brilliant #writephoto contributors has linked a lovely poem to one of my posts instead of yours.
This is the link:
https://inkdrops.blog/2022/04/27/hope-4/
KL ❤
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Thanks KL
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https://new2writing.wordpress.com/2022/04/27/faith/
My entry for this week, Marsha 🙂
Take Care. KL ❤
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I love it, KL.
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[…] week’s topic on WQW was Faith/Hope. A difficult subject. One I am highly unqualified to discuss in reality so I have gone for a simple […]
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[…] Marsha (me the hostess) Prequestioning is a great technique for learning rather than being a spoiler. Granted our readers are adults and most of them are also writers, but my aim is to enrich the conversations between them, and the conversations are super RICH! […]
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[…] Marsha’s Writers Quotes Wednesday: Hope and Faith […]
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[…] WQW – on break for the next two weeks. You can still follow the topics on my page (or not) and post YOUR WQW links to the post this week on Hope or Faith, Which is Which? […]
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Hi Marsha;
Here’s my post;
http://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2022/04/22/hope-or-faith-or-is-it-the-same/
Thanks
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Lovely quotes, Sadje. So perfect for WQW for this week. 🙂
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Thank you so much
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[…] Written for;WQW #16: Which Is Which Hope or Faith? […]
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Love this Marsha….and I love all your photos and thoughts. Here’s my link…
https://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2022/04/wqwtheme-hope-and-faith.html
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Great post and useful quotes. 🙂
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[…] WQW – on break for the next two weeks. You can still post YOUR WQW links to the post this week on Hope or Faith, Which is Which? […]
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You know, Marsha, I tend to focus on a post’s photographs, but your post (and indeed this series of posts) provides some real thought-provoking concepts.
I am glad to hear your visits to the doctor have been helpful. I have two family members who have similar issues with clotting, and from them, I know something of your experience. Take care, my friend, and do what those doctors tell you. 🙂
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Wow, John, thanks so much! I may maya put myself out there too much. I am really getting into WQW, though.
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keep up the faith and hope, Marsha 🙂
great post, thanks for sharing ❤
https://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2022/04/21/wqw-16-hope-and-faith/
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Thanks so much, Lady Lee.
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Weird question, did WP change something? My outlook email is getting weird messages from Wp that someone comments but it just says, <body . Wondering if anyone is getting odd messages?
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I noticed that all my spam came from pages not posts anymore. So I went through and disallowed comments on all pages, even private ones. However, I lost the thread of what you were saying. What was the weird question? 🙂
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That was it if your emails from WP look different. Mine do. Yeah, I took all comments off anything over 30 days and none allowed on my about page. Got hammered with spam all in Spanish!
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Well now, let’s see how it goes!
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What everyone else has said Marsha 🙂
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Wow, that’s a lot! Thanks, BB.
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You covered so much here, Marsha, that it’s hard to know what to comment on but I’ll deal with faith first: Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Yah for your personal belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It’s my belief as well.) Our faith isn’t just hoping that God’s really there but believing that He is even though we haven’t seen Him yet.
You’ve had some rough times physically but it sounds as though you’re getting through them well. I was interested to read your goals/aims. Right now my goal is to just get through each day as best I can although I have some small goals. But I really feel that I need some firmer goals too.
I enjoyed your photos as well as your shots and as usual am in awe of the planning and time it takes for you to put together a post…even with upcoming posts advertised at the end. You’re my hero. 🙂
janet
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Thanks so much, Janet. You are so kind. You know how plan-crazy teachers are!!! I might be a little over the top! LOL
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A post rich in faith and hope, Marsha, and of course a few of nature’s diamonds! Leaving a legacy is such a “thing”, something I rarely think about but probably spend more time on than I realize. In the end, I hope my legacy leaves behind my positive outlook on life as well as my passion for photography and artsy things. I hope I would be remembered for my faith, but it’s the living life leisurely that I want to “sell.” The same 24 hours will go by for all of us each day and how do I want to live mine? By teaching all those years, I left that leisure legacy with all those students, the same way my mother instilled it in me and my brothers. I do some of that on this blog. Very inspiring, my friend…as usual 🙂
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Thanks, Terri! You definitely sell the leisure life. You are full of fun!! That is a goal I forgot to name. I tell Vince that all the time.
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😁
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[…] Always Write […]
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love the quote and the pictures Marsha!!! Your pictures and all of your intentions are awesome! 💖
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Thanks, Cindy. You know what someone said about good intentions, LOL
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you’re soooo welcome!!! I think I meant tips.. lol but same with intentions.. 😂😂😂
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Dear Marsha, this is your best post ever….so rich and full…has moved me deeply (I’m puddled up with tears). And as a prompt, it fits me perfectly. A million thank you’s–God bless you HUGELY! ❤
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Thanks, Zelda. I’m honored.
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Sorry Marsha, I missed this week’s post. Wasn’t well and left it too long.
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I read your COVID post. I’m so sorry you were sick. No worries. I’m just glad you are better. Lots of love. xxx
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Thank you so much my dear friend
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Get well – completely – soon!
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Thanks Marsha, I think I’m now 100% recovered. 💕
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I’m so glad! 🙂
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😍
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Amazing photos..especially the first one of clouds. Wowza.
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Thanks, Judy. Arizona has some spectacular clouds. How are you. I miss chatting. 🙂
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My word; you’ve had a busy year! My mother has the meniscus trouble as well, although not all of that blood clot and breast cancer excitement.
You’ve given me hope and faith in future opportunity.
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I love your description – excitement. LOL. My husband says I love being sick. I about hit him. I just marvel at the care I’ve received and the fact that I lived through all of that is amazing to me, too. 🙂 Thanks for reading though it. I wish your mom the best.
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