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A Gift Of Hope

anchoredwithhope December 21st, 2015

My Christmas Gift To You

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Tonight I was feeling the Christmas spirit at an Orphanage who puts out Christmas lights to raise funds each year. It really touched me how much people care, how many people made donations for those little kids and I believe it gave them hope in so many ways..

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A rather well known singer performed on stage so the amount of people was naturally in the thousands. (A few people short from 6,000).. As I was strolling through all the decorations and Christmas lights, I realized that between all those people I felt utterly alone. My parents were there but they were rushing off to find a place to sit… The bit of social anxiety I had, appeared rather quickly between all those people, I started to feel self-conscious, I kept worrying about what everyone was thinking and as luck would have it, someone actually had the audacity to look at me, point me out to a friend and they both laughed.. I wondered to myself if they even knew how much a few words, a look, even a laugh could hurt someone.. Do they even know how a person with social anxiety, depression or any other mental illness, disease or disability feels.. That is when it hit me, I can't be the only one, out of all those people, someone there had to feel the same way… I realized then how fantastic 7 Cups is, our listeners and members; they don't judge you based on a mental illness, they don't judge you on how you look, they don't judge you because you have flaws, all they do is care about you. They only care about your mental wellbeing, your health, your happiness, about you as a person.

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7 Cups gives hope, to those who feel completely and utterly alone and lost in a crowd of people, we provide support.. We give people hope that they are never alone..

Hope is such a beautiful thing, contrary to popular belief, hope is not just part of a religion. Hope is so much more..

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anchor_design_heart_stickers-r6439ff1e8d3d416f8b3f4e9b02c27046_v9w0n_8byvr_512.jpgHope is when the little voice inside your head says: "Try one more time." even when everything else is telling you to give up.

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Hope is all around you but often you might not see it…

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I decided that my Christmas gift to the 7 Cups community will be the gift of hope. PresentBlueGlitter.gif~c200

Please bear with me since this will be a really long post but I promise you that I will make it worth your time!

First of all, I want you to meet Nicholas James Vujicic, a man who was born with no limbs and despite what life has thrown at him, he stays one of the most passionate, inspirational people who I have ever come to know. He's a motivational speaker who, instead of being embarrassed about himself, has made countless people laugh and be happy because of who he is. This is a man who has been spreading hope for disabled people and even regular people (like little old me) His message to the world is that life is not about what you don't have, life is about making something with what you have. Read his full story.

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A 15 year old boy called Bryan Warnecke, featured in a One Republic music video "I Lived". Every time I watch this, tears stream down my face.. This young boy lives with a disease called Cystic Fibrosis, a disease which is life-threatening. Even though he has to deal with this every single day, he is so positive about life, instead of worrying about the inevitable, he focuses himself in the moment, wanting to live his life to the fullest, regardless of any disease. He is a beacon of hope for so many others with a disease and even for those without any disease. He has inspired me to live my life in the moment. Read his story or watch the music video.

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J.K. Rowling, a fabulous woman who had written one of the most hopeful, inspirational stories during a difficult time but got turned down, publisher after publisher. 12 publishers had rejected her works in total. She believed in her story so much that she never lost hope. Eventually she found a publisher who believed in her as much as she believed in herself. Finally the amazing story of Harry Potter was published; a story that gave the world hope. J.K Rowling wrote a story of hope that was spread out all through the world and to this day children still find hope in her stories. Even through difficult times, this woman never lost hope and that is what makes her extraordinary. Read about her struggles and her ultimate victory.

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This is a man who had a dream, though everyone doubted in his vision. He is a man who had hope in something, despite what others thought about it. He started an era of something beyond amazing. He has given hope to children and adults all around the world, just because he never lost hope. This is a man who said If you can dream it, you can do it. Yes, Im talking about the amazing Walt Disney. Walt is a man who defined the odds, when everything went wrong, he tried again and again. He had hope in a little mouse and it ended up turning into something much bigger. Read about him.

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Here is a girl who spread hope all across the world by simply refusing to let the rough waters of life sink her. Bethany Hamilton was on the road to being one of the best professional surfers, even at a young age. She survived a shark attack at the age of 13, even though she survived the attack, she had lost an arm. With determination she recovered faster than everyone could have expected and before long she was back on a surfboard. She didnt give up hope, even after she lost her arm, she was back to being one of the top professional surfers. She even wrote a book and had a movie made to spread hope to others who went through a similar ordeal. Read her full story.

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This is a girl who didnt need a rough childhood to spread hope to the world.. This is a girl who used her success to make the world a better place. Jennifer Lawrence who got most of her success for her role of Katniss in The Hunger Games.. Why is she so amazing for that, you wonder? She was told to lose weight for her role and she simply refused. She wanted to have a positive influence on the girls who looked up to Katniss, she didnt want them to have to starve themselves to look like her. She gave hope to the world by standing up for what she believed in and not allowing the media and other influences to change her into an image with impossible standards. Read more about her.

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These fantastic human beings just keep reminding me that not everyone in the world is in a race for fortune and fame; there are people out there who are really just trying to change the world. People who want nothing more than to give hope to others.


These are only a few people, there are millions of people who don't even take recognition for the difference they make in the world.These people have proved that even when you face the inevitable, you can still have hope. Hope is something you can choose to have, no matter how difficult a situation may seem, no matter how negative you may feel, you can always choose hope. Now many might argue and say why have hope in a hopeless situation? Well, see my friends, even if you are fighting a battle that is meant to be lost, having hope will spark something in you, something that will change your story from just another tragedy to a remarkable and unforgettable story. With a little bit of hope, you can give someone else the opportunity to see that no matter how terrible their situation is, there is a light in the darkness..

Hope is not the little sparkle in you, hope is what ignites the sparkle into a flame. You can start a fire inside your heart and spread it through the world as quickly as a wildfire spreads… People forget how powerful hope can be. By giving someone hope, you show them that life can be what they imagined it to be, in rare cases it can prevent someone from doing something irrational, because they felt hopeless..

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anchoredwithhope OP December 21st, 2015

People see hope as a destination, rather than the whole journey.. You can't just say "I have hope" and it will always be there.. In every situation, through every moment of your life, you can choose.. Do I hope for the best or expect the worst?

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Hope is not bound to a religion, though many religions use hope because hope sends out a strong message.. Don't give up yet, things might get better.

No matter how hopeless it might seem, I will always have hope. Especially because of the 7 Cups community. You all give me hope. Even though some of you are hurt and feel broken, even though you had a bad childhood, even though you feel like you can barely hold it together, you came here, not quite ready to give up yet; because deep down inside you have hope. 7 Cups of Tea is hope, hope for people who feel alone, hope for people who need a shoulder to cry on, hope for people who feel like no one cares.

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7 Cups gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, someday all humans will realize that life is not about fame, fashion, fortune, beauty, how much you get, life is about love, happiness, moments, kindness, life is about how much you give without wanting to receive..

My hope is that someday all humans will see beauty from the inside; they will see themselves as beautiful souls and others as equally beautiful. My hope is that people will accept what they don't understand and make peace with what they don't like. My hope is that people will be aware of their actions and know that what might seem like a little joke, could emotionally scar someone for life, my hope is that people will see with their hearts and speak with their minds..

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My hope is for you, I hope that you find your hope, find an anchor and hold on, through rough waters and open oceans. I hope that you find a way to see the beauty inside yourself, I hope that your smile will never fade; I hope that you experience unforgettable moments in times where you didn't expect it. I hope that you know that you are never alone, even when there's no one around or if you're in a large crowd of people- there is always someone; someone who knows how you feel, someone who cares about your situation, someone who is willing to listen.

I hope that you have found something positive through this message and I hope that I gave you even the smallest amount of hope because I know that is all that is needed to light up a flame. Christmas is about giving without wanting to receive. I gave you my hope, so please share a gift with someone else, a gift of joy, love, compassion, kindness. I hope you see that you don't have to be smart, popular, talented, rich, attractive or anything else to be able to give someone a gift; you just need to be willing.

I know this isn't much, it's nothing fancy but it's all I have to give. I hope that you have found even the slightest ray of hope through these words.

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Amelia December 21st, 2015

You, once again, inspire and amaze me. I really do appreciate all of the time you spent on this gift as well as showing us all some amazing examples of hope. I want each and everyday to help provide a sense of hope for our members and guests as well as my fellow listeners. I don't know if I always am able to accomplish that goal but I try. I am forever impressed by the listeners in this community who work so hard to provide hope to others. I am also impressed by the members and guests--they provide hope to others with their presence in the chatrooms and on the forums...and they provide hope to me that people can and will reach out when they need support. I hope you have a wonderful holiday, @anchoredwithhope! Thank you again for this amazing gift!

1 reply
anchoredwithhope OP December 21st, 2015

@RocketsMom

I had to do this over 3 times but it was worth it laugh

Thank you so much!

It also amazes me how much hope our community can provide! laughheart

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professionalPerspective60 December 21st, 2015

Well my love !!!!! You've done it again dear!!

Blown us all away with your awesome postings👍

I love reading you posts!

They are always incredibly ❤️

Merry Christmas xx

2 replies
anchoredwithhope OP December 21st, 2015

@professionalPerspective60

Awwwww! laugh

1 reply
professionalPerspective60 December 21st, 2015

@anchoredwithhope

Ahhhh! That's too cute ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you x

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Chevy81 December 22nd, 2015

@anchoredwithhope

"Hope is such a beautiful thing... Hope is so much more."

That line does speak the truth about yourself. Let's replace the word hope with your name, Nadine (which I know that they have the same meaning -thanks to your own post). You are beautiful in every way I could think of and I'm so grateful to get the honor to know you and read this beautifully written gift. Thank you

2 replies
anchoredwithhope OP December 22nd, 2015

@Chevy81 @Param

I am speechless! laugh

Thank you so much for your kind words!

1 reply
Chevy81 December 22nd, 2015

@anchoredwithhope heart

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HotFudge December 22nd, 2015

@anchoredwithhope

i am trying to find the words, that can match the positivity and awesomeness of this forum post...

also, it reminded me of a saying, that was used most during my school time...

If wealth is lost, nothing is lost.

If health is lost, something is lost.

If HOPE is lost, everything is lost...

and, what all the listeners here do, is to give our guests/members and fellow listeners, a ray/spark of hope that they need to make it through their tough times...

NewRomantic677 December 24th, 2015

this post is just beautiful, it must've taken a lot of time and effort but it looks so gorgeeous and sends across a stunning message to remember for the holidays

DreamHope December 27th, 2015

Thank you, really thank you for making this thread. I cried :P to me, hope seems like a distant dream, but I will keep on hoping for the best. Depression got worse over the mid-term exams, and I had really wanted to gove up, but now I'll try and hope for the future.

Belated merry christmas:) and a happy new year to you