In Memory of Velna Black Blood

On October 15, 2015, Dwight wrote and posted on his own blog the following:

"The gift of hope is one of our most potent protectors.  Even on our darkest days, when even a small glimmer of hope seems beyond our recognition, hope can be our bright and shining light.  We all have days when everything seems to go wrong, when our most ardent hopes seem dashed into dust, and when the future looks bleak and foreboding.  We feel that hope has abandoned us.  We shed tears of remorse and our hearts are heavy with sadness.

Under the worst of circumstances, we must still hold out our hands to grasp the strong bonds of hope. When we couple our hope with our faith, we strengthen our ability to cope even more.  By uniting hope with faith, we keep our hearts and minds open to brighter moments ahead.  We may not receive the result we were hoping for, but we will recognize, whatever the outcome of our despair, that we have, nonetheless, been blessed.

Task Number 287: Never lose hope.  Today's task is the shortest one I have written throughout the entire year.  But the message I am sending can still, nonetheless, be one of the most uplifting and helpful if we will seek a few moments of calmness to weather our storm and move on to a brighter day. Good luck, and keep going.  The Curmudgeonly Professor."

His words are needed even more today than the day they were written. Last night Dwight's sweetheart of his life, Velna Black Blood told him and this world goodbye for a bit.  The entire Blood Family honors her, loves her, and clings to the hope that Dwight described.