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Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
And never stops at all.
-Emily Dickinson

I've always wondered what would have become of mankind had we no hope. It is my firm belief that hope is the driving force behind our actions, for without it, we are nothing. I would even venture so far as to say that the hope that is instilled within each and every one of us acts as a sort of trigger for our self esteem. I'll use an event in my own life as an example to account for this claim:

My cousin was involved in a terrible mowing accident on August 12 that has left him paralyzed from his belly button down and with more than third degree burns on thirty-five percent of his body. It came as a complete shock to my entire family, and we are still reeling from its effects. My cousin is only 28 years old, and he will spend at least the next four months confined to a hospital bed. He could also spend the remainder of his life confined to a wheelchair.

Our hope is that he will have the opportunity to live a full life. Right now, he is in a sort of limbo from day to day. The extent of his injuries, internal as well as external, cannot be determined due to the immense about of swelling and damage done to him by the burns he has suffered. He has been having trouble breathing on his own. It appears that one of his vertebrae has burst, due to the presence of bone fragments near the nerves of his spinal cord. Even the smallest infection could potentially turn lethal. Only his immediate family is allowed to see him, which includes his parents, his wife, and his sister. His three and a half year old daughter cannot see him due to her age, and that is what hurts him most of all.

To say I am optimistic is an understatement. I am simply bursting with hope. Hope that he will live, hope that God will perform a miracle, and hope that he will one day walk again. I hope that my family will have the strength to get through this. I hope that the members of my extended family who are struggling with the injustice of it all will make their peace with God. I hope that my aunt will find the strength to continue to work, just so she will have somewhere to escape to when things are too overwhelming. I hope that soon, my mother's eyes will dry up long enough so that she could actually get a good night's sleep. I hope that I am strong enough to carry my family through this as I watch my mother and brother break into pieces at my

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