“All seems lost, yet a slight hope remains…

…that chance will intervene and avert the tragic end.”  William Shakespeare

I wanted to make this post about hope and maintaining faith even in the midst of chaos and uncertain times.  Between working on a not necessarily uplifting series (America Failed),  all the news of the BP Oil Spill that is taking place in the Gulf, my quarter winding down etc.  I have a lot on my mind and an equal amount on my plate.  But I wanted to make sure everybody knew where my opinions and thoughts ultimately lay.

I don’t always photograph the most “beautiful” images or subject matter; I do this because I feel it is important to bring certain aspects of our world that people may drive by, pass over on television, or flip through in a magazine to the fore front.  However, I want the overall message to be that we have the ability to shape the world around us.  The whole “The world is what we make of it” mantra is one I have always agreed with.

So I started looking for quotes and stories about the persistence of hope in strenuous circumstances and would like to share some quotes and stories I found.

“And yet, when we are surrounded by fear, hope remains. Hope always stays nearby, waiting for a chance to comfort our hearts. It sits quietly and whispers into our spirits that all is not lost, all will be well. And when the days are darkest, hope quietly speaks the kindest words into our souls: “you are not alone.””

This quote was taken from a blog run by a stay at home dad of four children named Tim Blake of Savannah, GA; he’s a stay at home dad because his wife is in the army serving over seas.  I found his story to be extermely compelling and inspirational so I wanted to share that quote and a link to his blog.

http://armyspouseami.blogspot.com/

Now on to some quotes I liked along the lines of what I wanted this post to be about:

“The night is darkest just before the dawn” – Spanish Proverb

“Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them.  The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.” – Voltaire

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.  I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” – Mother Teresa

And of course to finish it up a quote from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Hopefully this puts some of my Photographic work in perspective and provides you with an explanation as to why I do what I do.  Remember that there is always an undying faith or hope that can remain despite the worst circumstances or the darkest of times.

Benjamin Gibson signing off.