The world seems to be a dark, scary, angry, disease-filled mess right now. People are sick. People are angry. Afraid. Anxious. Frustrated. Isolated. At odds with others. It is a mess!

And yet, I still am hopeful. Why? Because I see the power of the next generation. I see the power of the under 40 crowd, who give their time, money, and energy to making the world a better place. They care about each other, and those older than themselves with a fierceness and honesty that is refreshing. Not love because they were told to love others, but because their hearts and minds are open and they love relentlessly and unconditionally, but with honesty. They give me great hope.

Look around you. See the youth moving and changing the world. Give thanks for them, honor them, and those of us older than them, how about we try to make them proud of us instead of the other way around. The world we gave them is a complete and total mess, and yet, they are trying to fix it — and it’s about time we join them in that quest.

They give me hope — great, big hope.