I was an avid reader as a young child, often zipping through several books in the course of a week.

I remember taking a test on a book I had read and receiving only a satisfactory mark. Indignant, I asked the teacher why my score was only average and proceeded to tell her everything the book was about.

She smiled and said, “I have no doubt that you know the story, but I have a theory about what’s wrong. I need to give you another test to confirm it so we can determine a course of action.”

I agreed, got permission from my mom, and took the test. It seemed very easy, and I completed it quickly.

When the scores came back, the teacher sat down with me and explained each section. I had scored high in every area except reading comprehension, which was exactly what she had suspected.

Once again, the indignation of a fourth grader surfaced. I told her, “I comprehend just fine!”

She smiled and replied, “Despite popular belief, reading comprehension is more than being able to recall a story and talk about it. It’s being able to discuss the story itself. It asks questions about the whys, the hows, and the outcomes.”

She explained that my issue was that, in my excitement to get to the good parts of the story, I glossed over the details I considered trivial. In doing so, I missed information that could have been an integral part of the story.

And that is what hope is about.

Often, we gloss over things we deem trivial in order to get to the brighter side, not realizing that if we take the time to study those seemingly insignificant moments, the outcome can become one of hope.

The details matter. The struggles matter. The waiting matters.

Stay hopeful. Because where there’s hope, there’s a way.