I have created my blog on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Why? Well, it’s because I believe in hope. The events of 9/11 were an attempt to suck that hope out of our lives as well as our culture. But guess what, it didn’t work. The terrorists failed as most bullies do. It didn’t work then and I don’t believe it will work now, though it seems that our country needs to find the hope lost due to the challenges and frustrations created by our current economic and political environment. We need to not only feel hope but also visually see hope emanating from our leadership and, unfortunately, it is hard to see much less find. One of my favorite movies is “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” with Jimmy Stewart. I think it should be part of our country’s high school curriculum and mandatory for our politicians to watch. But where can we find the Mr. Smiths of today?
I watched a program last night about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A woman who lost her son in those attacks was interviewed. He had called and left a message on her answering machine before the towers fell. She made an incredible statement. It was a powerful statement. She said (I’m paraphrasing here) you can either be mad and angry for what you lost or you can step back and say wow, we had him for 33 great years and be thankful for that. I would like to believe but, in reality, I don’t know if I would have that kind of strength and courage. This woman impressed me. This mother who lost her son gave me hope. I know that nothing I write will offer that much strength or hope but maybe it can offer something positive.
There are a lot of places where hope can be found but unfortunately many of those places are not in Washington. I am an author who tries (and I hope succeeds) in writing stories that offer hope. In my novel, A Work in Progress (http://www.amazon.com/A-Work-In-Progress-ebook/dp/B004XD91IC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2) my main character, Jeremy Jackson, is a regular guy who gets caught up in something much bigger than he is, facing two options – one is giving up and the other is fighting for something. There are a lot of other authors who write with similar forms of hope. John Locke’s Donavan Creed series offers hope in the average guy. Gerard de Marigny, an up and coming author, does the same. Musicians like Davin McCoy and The Coming Attractions sing of hope.
We can find hope but it’s just not that obvious. I wish there were more Jimmy Stewarts in the world but it seems we’ve not found them yet. We must never give up our hopes and dreams, whatever those hopes and dreams are. This blog isn’t about selling my book, it is about reminding people there is still hope and there are those who still try and offer that hope though it seems that our hopes and dreams keep getting beaten down. As I’m sure you’ve heard like I have the saying that “bad news sells” and if you watch enough news you know it’s true. The extremists, regardless of their perspectives and affiliations, get the most interest and highest ratings. Don’t get caught in this trap. Search out the providers of hope. Take the extremists for what they are: extremists.
If you want a break from the realities of the day, the recession, the jobless numbers, the fear then check out the authors and musician I’ve mentioned above or check out my book – you can get it in a print version or for the Kindle. Regardless of how you do it though, don’t give up on hope. I would love to hear from you. My blog will only have an entry once every 4 to 6 weeks so I promise I won’t bombard you. If it means something to you then please pass it along. I would love to make the message of hanging on to your hope something that goes viral on the internet but even better yet goes viral in our society. Let’s make a difference together. Let’s make hope a virus! How cool would it be to help make hope something people are catching! I know, it sounds corny, but hey, at a minimum, it might help one person find some hope in the current challenging environment we are prisoners of and I know that just one more person becoming hopeful would be a good thing. Check out my website – www.larrysheridan.com – my twitter @AboutmybooksLS – my novel’s, A Work in Progress, Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Work-in-Progress/225449777471634#!/pages/A-Work-in-Progress/225449777471634 and if this really meant something to you then please e-mail me and let me know: larry@larrysheridan.com – I would love to hear from you. My main character, Jeremy Jackson, and I both thank you for taking some of your time to read this, maybe together we can make hope the news of the day!