The Power of Hope

December 12, 2023

There is a town on Mobile Bay in South Alabama called Fairhope. What a positive name for a town. All my life, I have been going to or through Fairhope. Growing up, it had a plain downtown full of typical storefronts. It was primarily agricultural and also a haven for intellectuals and artists. But it has always been on a stunningly beautiful bluff overlooking Mobile Bay.

Now the town is very picturesque and not so plain. It has a sparkly, artsy charm - a mixture of old French Mobile and the avant-garde. World-class artists and thought leaders from all over the world make their homes in Fairhope. It still has a strong agrarian base.

Fairhope was founded in November 1894 on the site of the former Alabama City as a "Single-Tax" colony by the Fairhope Industrial Association, a group of 28 followers of economist Henry George. The founders thought using the Single Tax plan would give them at least a "fair hope" of succeeding. Fairhope became the town's name.

Why did Fairhope have a fair hope of succeeding? It had a plan for creating what its founders believed to be an ideal community. It had high hopes, it attracted forward thinkers and creative people, and its leaders were willing to adapt as times changed and it remained connected to the earth.

Inquiry: Do you have a fair hope of succeeding? Are you connected to your spiritual purpose? Are you expressing your soul's ideals? Do you adapt to reality? Do you attract creativity and new thoughts? Are you connected to the earth?

Dear God,

You have given all of us fair hope. Bless us with being able to see it. Amen.

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