According to Christian faith tradition, this coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent—the season of preparation for Christmas—the coming of the One known as the Christ Child. Advent takes place over four Sundays, assigning one of four gifts of the season to each: hope, peace, joy, and love. This year, not only is Advent a little longer because Christmas is on a Sunday…but this first Sunday's theme is hope. I think we're going to need the extra time. It's going to be a hard task for some of us to focus on hope. We've had a hard week…month…season. From the fatal shooting in Colorado Springs at an LGBTQA bar to our own losses right here at home. In the midst of it all, where will we find hope?