One of the things I am most grateful for in my work is that it provides the opportunity to spend time with people whom generally I would never meet. I've learned what it's like to live in this country without documents and speaking no English. I've spoken with Holocaust survivors who somehow managed to piece their lives back together after losing virtually everything as teenagers. And I've been able to meet heroes of mine--like the writer Kate DiCamillo, who writes enchanting young adult novels.
Something that surfaces again and again in their stories is resilience. When it seemed all was lost, they didn't give up. And they made their way to a better place.
I am so grateful for their example. It reminds me, day in and out, why we should always hold on to a sense of hope.