Are we breathing a little bit more
freely with the end in sight, begin-
ning in sight, a little of both, some 

of each? Terrible things may still
happen. There is more than enough
time, of course, but isn’t that always

the case — time as the harbinger of
dread, as in, “Oh, my God, what now?”
Is it so much the dance between op-

timism and pessimism or something
deeper, much closer to the marrow of
the bones, the beating of the heart,

the deep, deep satisfaction of a deep
breath, the inner light dispelling a 
heart of darkness? There’s a glimmer, 

a crack in the closed door so we can 
see the sunshine and most often that 
minuscule ray saves the day and renews

our faith — “…the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen,” but it is still nice to see that

sliver of light at the end of the tunnel
touching that light in our hearts 
signaling hope.