Walking Among Winter Trees

This week

I have been reading out on my back porch. Surrounding myself with spring. Soaking it in through every window pore.

The cats' claw vine

cascading

in a golden flower-fall of blossoms.

The new lemon tree budding with the tart promise of lemonade and lemon meringue pie.

Our backyard shade tree, which looked like it was dying all winter, alive with new branches and leaves.

This week I have needed to surround myself with the promise of spring. Because sometimes when I find myself walking among winter trees it is too easy to forget.

A friend's thought this week, captured me:  It is times like this when it matters the most...to believe. - from Nathaniel Dunigan, Director of Aidchild. Read his entire note here.

It is times like this when it matters the most...to believe.

When we walk among winter trees.

When all seems barren and dried up and forgotten.

When hope is fragile. And prayers are desperate.

In the dead of winter, one of my favorite symbols is a barren tree with buds. Those quiet bare branches hold the magnificent potential of LIFE. It seems almost impossible that there could be so much green in them. Yet, all winter the buds wait for the warmth of spring to open them. When I walk among the winter trees I am consoled and filled with hope."    -Joyce Rupp

If you are walking among winter trees, I pray today you see the promise of green.

So much green.