Kevin

dear, friend -- if i may,
i know it's been a long while since we've spoken
since a hello has crossed this space
but i, i have never thought of you in any other light

dear, friend -- i thought of you last week
walking along the harbour, where we used to watch the ships
and you would tell me about how you wanted to be part of them
a traveller, adventurer -- hero, as the ones who came before

friend, you called me the night you made your choice
and told of the way your sister cried, and your mother screamed,
and your father somberly said he admired your bravery
and i, too, cried -- and screamed -- and did all i could to change your mind

and friend, i think of you, watching the same sunrises
but from greater heights and deeper depths and further plains
about your laughter across the miles, and the way you never let on about
that weight that you carry on your shoulders so effortlessly

and i, i will forgive you every time that you miss a coffee date
and i will understand, every holiday when you don't come home
because you're busy out there wandering the country and keeping it safe

they, they will call you comrade
and one day, i'm sure of it, they will call you commander
but i, i will always call you "friend"

Four Letter Words

                                        "Hope is our four letter word,"

                                        - OneRepublic, "Counting Stars"

"Four letter words" refer to words with a negative connotation—curse words, mostly. I'm sure you can come up with a list without too much creativity. So perhaps it seems counterintuitive to place "hope" in the same categories as these words, right? Maybe.

Hope is fertile. It keeps humanity going; it enables us to reach for new heights. But hope is also dangerous—and in that sense, it is powerful beyond measure. Hope can heal; hope can bring joy; hope can spark miracles. Hope can save lives; no one would deny its positive impact. But hope is also terrifying. Hope is powerful, and that alone is enough reason to fear it. Many people fear to pin their hopes too high because they are too familiar with dashed dreams and the disappointment that comes with misplaced hope. I know this—for the One Thing that I placed my faith in has been shaken to the core these past few months. So maybe it's not so crazy to consider hope a "four letter word."

But there is tomorrow. And there is progress. There is someone searching out there; demanding answers to humanity's cruelest mysteries. And as long as we are seeking, there is hope; alive and well. This universe is full of infinite secrets, miracles and revelations, and sooner or later, they will be ours. Hope belongs to those who look for answers—those that are just beyond our current comprehension, and also those that are ten years' worth of work away. But humanity is motivated by necessity as well as curiosity, and that is a combination to be reckoned with. The researchers, scientists and wonderers of our generation are constantly building on thousands of years of truth-seeking to continue finding answers (we're standing on the shoulders of giants, remember?), and so as long as there is darkness, there is hope. Maybe it's all we have, really. But it keeps us together; hanging on. Hope keeps us waiting; breathless—searching and seeking.

Hope makes this life worth living.