What's the Message Here?

This has been one of the most unusual Christmas Holiday seasons I can remember.
So much bad news all around.
Such good things happening for my family and I.

It feels risky even writing that. To say that outloud makes me feel like I would invite the 'jinx'.

I'm a compassionate guy. I cry at the mere suggestion of anything even remotely touching.
But it seems like I am even more 'tuned in' to the tragedies around me this year.

Blake Kreig, Ken Jones, Tony Kuhn. Layoffs, job losses, even suicides have interrupted what would otherwise be a blissful Christmas season for me.

Then, last night on the way home from the Roseburg Churchill game I stopped in Cottage Grove to grab a bite to eat.
Sitting outside the restaurant was a man in a wheelchair.
His head was down, covered by a camoflauged cap.

When my headlights shined on him, the man looked up.
I saw hollow eyes, deeply wrinkled, brown skin and a moustache badly in need of a Kleenex.
Several layers of coats and sweaters were doing a bad job of keeping him warm.
He was coughing with every breath and wiping his nose with fingerless gloves.

I approached the man without fear. I figured I'd buy him a hamburger or coffee - anything to help.

He accepted a cup of hot coffee - "5 creams and 7 sugars" - as requested.

He continued to cough. He was barely understable.
He said "Its the napalm. It got me in Vietnam. It gets worse in the cold."

I realize its possible he was trying to garner sympathy from a stranger, but I think he just wanted to talk to someone.

I told him I hoped he would get better soon as I put one foot in my car.

He asked, "Why? Why should I want to get better?"

I was stunned, but said "You gotta have hope, man."

And here is what he said.

The thing that stayed with me and motivated me to share all of this with you.

"Hope for what?"

Think about that for a second.

Hope for what?

My Sunday School education made me want to say something about God and Heaven and Christmas, but it all felt so hollow as those thoughts echoed around my head.

Hope for what?

From his perspective, what does he have to hope for?

What was I supposed to say? Tell him that 'its all gonna be okay'? 'You're gonna be fine'? 'Jesus loves you'?

How do you answer that question? Why do you have hope? What are you hopeful for?

For me, my family and my faith and my career give me hope.

But what if you don't have any of those things?

Then what?

I think I have come to understand the message that I am supposed to get out of all the things I have seen and reported on over the last few months.

Alot of people have lost something lately.

Loved ones...jobs...houses...their health.

If you have somone to love and something to live for, you still have the one thing it takes to make it through the hard times.

If you think you have it hard, be happy if you have hope.

There's a guy in a wheelchair in Cottage Grove who wishes he had some.