Hope for the Future

As long as there are children, we must have hope. With every birth, a new beginning, an additional story and an opportunity for another dream to be realized. 

As parents, grandparents, family members, and engaged adults with children, we have a unique opportunity to watch little ones growing and remember our own innocence and childhood dreams. Some things never change and curiosity and desire begin to germinate in early life. 

In the past weeks, four children, curious and gifted have expressed their sprouting talents that I’d like to share with you. 
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My friend Mary Beth Stern’s 12-year-old granddaughter, Skylar, was recently featured in a book, The Ludlowe Light 2026, an annual magazine of selected students’ writings at her school in Connecticut. Through Mary Beth, I have watched Skylar’s curiosity blossom and her use of words develop exponentially. Here is her writing:

Your Life is but a Painting
by Skylar Stern  
 
A splash of orange for ambition, 
A blob of blue for strength,
I wield the mighty paintbrush,
An extension of my hand.
Some purple for curiosity, And yellow for the joy.
The canvas blooms with different hues,
All of my own command. 
I add some green for bravery, 
And crimson for concern.
A little here, a little there,
All of my own accord. 
Your life is but a painting, 
So be the artist, not the muse. 
It will be yours, and only yours,
No matter which paints you choose!  

From 12-year-old Skylar come the words of a bright and expressive writer. The world is her oyster; she has endless opportunities and the talents to achieve much. 

My grandson Finn, age 7, loves building Lego’s. Recently I presented him with the Arctic Explores Ship Building set. Containing 815 Lego pieces, including the large ship, helicopter and landing pad, underwater voyager and equipment, little people, and cranes on deck with moving parts. A project that would have taken Joe and me 30 hours to complete, took Finn 3 hours to assemble. My son reported that during the process of building the ship, Finn had some moments of frustration and possibly a meltdown, but he calmed himself down, figured it out and moved forward, always wanting to figure it out himself. My son notes that working with Lego's are great life lessons wrapped up in an extraordinary toy. Finn is detailed and task oriented, thoughtful, inquisitive and sensitive, and a talented soccer player on the field as well. His dreams are germinating as he grows taller by the day. 


Most of you will remember that our Samantha at Pluma, gave birth to a preemie baby girl four years ago. Elaina weighed only 2 pounds 8 oz. She has grown to be an absolutely beautiful child full of questions and a very strong and determined personality. This year she is attending pre-school where she spends half days and plays with others her age. Recently, coming home from her play day, she asked Samantha if she could go to school where her big brother Jonathan attends, because she wants to be in school learning and doing homework!
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Although I found her statement charming and amusing, it speaks volumes to her already established determination to grow intellectually and rationally. She must take after her mother! 


The next time you come to the salon, you will notice a new piece of artwork on our wall. My niece Veronica’s 12-year-old daughter, Caty, has an artistic flair for creating art with pencil on paper. I have named her most recent piece in our salon, Girl in Flux. She has captured the facial features with an eye for texture and emotional sensitivity. I do believe, with guidance and her continued enthusiasm, Caty can become an amazing artist. She is also an outstanding student in school with high grades. A good balance is needed for an artist. 
I have enthusiastically recommended the 8-book series The Seven Sisters written by Lucinda Riley. The Primary Protagonist Pa Sault and the D’Apliese family (the 7-sisters) is a novel based on a man who takes the opportunity to adopt infant girls to give them better circumstances than living in orphanages or compromised family conditions. In the eighth book, Atlas – the story of Pa Salt, is a quote that incapsulates his desire to help these children, ‘Hope is a Choice.’ 

I believe our children give us hope. And as adults we must have hope for their future. Our future depends on it. 
Happy 4th of July 
With love and hope,
Hilda