I see hope in the spirit of children. Their joy, their resilience, their adaptability. In particular, I remember a child we will call Esperanza to protect her identity. An orphan child with disabilities I met when I traveled to Panama to visit Casa Providencia, an orphanage for children with special needs. Because Esperanza was thought to be possessed by demons or cursed because of her condition, she was thrown in the trash by her caretakers. The staff at Casa Providencia were alerted, and discovered her lying on the city trash heap, malnourished and as close to death as humanly possible. She was taken to the orphanage, where doctors diagnosed her with further neurological issues from the lack of nourishment and the trauma to her brain. Esperanza was said to barely be able to respond to stimuli and never achieve basic developmental milestones. The staff at the orphanage loved her and worked with her every day. At roughly the age of 3, Esperanza was able to roll over. She would not just roll over once, but in sheer defiance would roll over and over up to ten times, giggling and cackling the entire time. What a testament to love. What a blazing fire of hope!