Hello Hatters,
During the month of February, my state experienced a severe freeze with lasting snowfall for 4 to 5 days. It was so unlike our normal winters. People had many kinds of trouble in the midst and aftermath of what we now call “snow-vid”. For me, I lost many plants that I’d had for years. These were plants that Country Hubby and I had nurtured for over 30 years. One long term plant of ours survived.
All over the neighborhood and other places I traveled, the most obvious and common damage was to the many palm trees. Honestly, this writer didn’t think there was any hope of seeing the palm trees make it from the harsh weather storms.
Three months later, I've recently returned from a trip down to the coast and again, I witnessed many brown palm trees. It is a sad sight. These towering giants that withstood hurricanes, have been done in by the lasting cold and snow from February.
Yet, in the last 24 hours of my vacation, I was privileged to see rows and rows of palm trees that had been tended, trimmed, and pruned. The result was stunning. From the hands of experienced gardeners and landscapers, their actions revealed life still present below the surface. Green shoots of color crown the once crusty and crumpling tops of the palms.
It didn’t take me long to see that my journey of grieving my Country Hubby has been like that of the palm tree in the storm. It has been hard, cold, and bitter. But in my faith walk, I know the Hands that hold me and the changes He is making in me to live again. He is the Great Gardener that puts resilience in nature and into each one of us. I have to choose to lean into this different life. I share my picture of the palm trees that were so badly damaged, but now pruned, and coming back as a reminder that resilience waits for me to journey onward.
I’m not delusional about the sad, weak, or tearful days that lie ahead. I know they will come. When those tough days do return, I hope to process the triggers (for they are many), and remember that as surely as the palm trees have bounced back, that I’m in the Hands of my God. He will guide my steps and lead me into this changing landscape called life.
MT Penny