Hope holds out the alluring promise of the good that is yet to come. But what happens when longing is met with unrealized requests, disease, severed friendships, infertility, singleness, lost passion, wayward children, or the sheer repetition of life? Many women forego the promise of hope in order to avoid the pain that disappointment and loss often brings. Hope can be painful, but without it, people cannot continue. And while refusing to dream may protect them from the harsh winds of reality that buffet their souls, it can also keep them from experiencing the beauty that God is creating in their lives. Where does one find the courage to keep an open heart focused on the sure future God has promised? "We either respond to hope with our hearts," says Jan Meyers, "or we try to push it down. Responding to hope brings a deepened sense of thirst and ache but it reminds us what it truly means to be a woman." Meyers' refreshingly honest and compassionate look at both sides of hope will help readers find the courage to keep hoping-even in those places where hope seems to have been destroyed. And while hope is never without risk, its transcending power can make people more fully alive.