hope.
You're Never Too Old
You might feel like it.
But you aren't.
You are not too old to hope. To dream. To do. To become.
What does age have to do with it anyway? Why do we feel the need to give up? To stop? To surrender?
Maybe you tell me that it's reality. Maybe pessimism. Discouragement.
I get that.
But maybe it's fear. Chickening out. Running scared.
I get that too.
You aren't too old. And neither am I.
Really.
My friend Heidi was adopted as a baby. As an adult she decided to search for her birth parents. Through much perseverance she eventually found her birth mother. And then with equal parts moxie and determination she met her half brother and half sister as well. Her heart's desire was then to find her birth father.
Finding him proved to be an obstacle too large for even Heidi's tenacity.
But she never lost hope.
She kept dreaming.
She chose to believe.
For 25 years.
On Monday, Heidi will meet her birth father.
He told Heidi in a phone call that she is the best thing that ever happened to him. He never married or had any other children. At 83 he understands how short life can be. How fleeting. How valuable.
You're never too old to gain a daughter. You're never too old to gain a father.
Dreams can come true.
Hope is real.
You're never too old.
Heidi knows that better than anyone.
Can I pass you a Kleenex?
“Hope is not pretending that troubles don’t exist. It is the trust that they will not last forever, that hurts will be healed and difficulties overcome. It is faith that a source of strength and renewal lies within to lead us through the dark into the sunshine.”