The Non-Christmas

I slept through Christmas, I really did. I could write my tale of woe in all its gory details but that's really quite unnecessary.
What makes me chuckle is the need of most to find something good out of a bad situation. How many times did I hear or say 'at least...'.
'At least you've had some rest', 'At least you didn't try and travel', 'At least I didn't have to go to hospital'...

We can't have a situation without finding a bright side - we're wonderful optimists (and keen to play a lot down?). I do know of some who had worse Christmas' than me, and I know there must be many more for whom it was bad on another level, so don't get me wrong; I am absolutely right to count my blessings.

But there are some situations where there is no 'at least' that can take the edge off the horror. Sometimes we can't add a line to soften the blow and console ourselves. Sometimes things are simply bad.
I wonder if we fear the truly bad because we don't know what we are supposed to do with it. What do we do when there is no glimmer of hope?

Before Christmas, and unsurprisingly following my trip to the West Bank, I engaged in a few discussions about why bad things happen. Why a God of love wouldn't just break all the rules and step in. I have a few ideas, a few things which make sense to my head - fewer which make sense to my heart. I reject the trite answers, just as I reject the 'at least' attached to some stories.

Sometimes we attach hope to motivate ourselves, sometimes we do it to make ourselves feel better, or let ourselves off the hook. Sometimes it's because we cannot deal with the idea of such badness, such despair. (And then, there are pessimists who revel in the lack of hope, I don't think that's a good look either).

I don't think hope is something to be used, I think it might be something to look for with a genuine desire to grasp truth. Sometimes if there is no hope to be seen, we have to become it. 'At least I can do something...'