Hope is defined as a “feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen” and as a “feeling of trust.” We all have hopes and dreams, things we want to happen and thoughts about the future.

When things look bleak, hope plays a big role in keeping us moving forward. As the old saying goes, hope springs eternal.

On Thursday night, organizers of Selma’s “Night of Hope” tried to bring some optimism to our city. Sherman Williams, who played on the University of Alabama’s 1992 national championship team and also played in a Super Bowl, was the guest speaker at Bloch Park.

Williams talked openly about the mistakes of his past, which included spending 15 years in prison. He was released in 2014 and has turned his life around, becoming a public speaker and trying to help others sidestep the trouble he found himself in.

Many young people in Selma could learn something from Williams’ story and from the point of the night in general.

“I know from personal experience … that irresponsible decisions got me to the lowest of lows,” Williams said.

Young people are our future. Many of the students about to graduate this year are heading to college, going into the armed forces or already have a job lined up after high school.

Those students are poised to make the most of their opportunities.

Even people who have made poor choices in their past, can still make the most of the future. Williams is living proof of that. After all the success he had in college, he was a backup to Emmitt Smith in the NFL. Then, his arrest sent his life spiraling.

Yet, there he was in Selma Friday, speaking optimistically about the future.

The past is in the past and there’s a lot of hope for our future. Let’s all make the best of it.