“There is a close connection between hope and hopes, but we must not confuse the two. We set our hopes on something we can imagine. But hope is open for the unimaginable. The opposite of hopes is hopelessness. The opposite of hope is despair. One can cling desperately to one’s hopes. But even in a hopeless situation hope remains open for surprise. It is surprise that links hope with gratefulness.”
–David Steindl-Rast, Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer
