Later Raguel called his wife Edna and said, "My love, prepare the other bedroom and bring the girl there." She went and made the bed in the room, as she was told, and brought the girl there. After she had cried over her, she wiped away the tears and said: "Be brave, my daughter. May the Lord of heaven grant you joy in place of your grief. Courage, my daughter." Then she left. (Tobit 7: 15-17)

The women in the book of Tobit are as grounded as the men can seem driven by fantasy.

When Tobit goes blind, Hannah goes to work.

The maid perceives that Sarah's abusive behavior is connected with the death of her husbands.

Sarah's mother speaks of hope and joy but in the breach advises courage.

The women's insights are not more accurate than the men. Tobit's motivation is not as self-interested as Hannah suspects. Sarah has not murdered her husbands. The prospect of joy is more promising than Edna anticipates.

The challenge for both optimists and pessimists is to step beyond the self enough to see and hear clearly.

Low expectations are no more innately true than high expectations.

The crucial issue is not what I want or I expect, but what God intends and where God's will would bring me.