The Willow

A lesson in redemption was taught to be today as I worked in my yard pulling weeds watering the garden and collecting rocks. I love the summer because a good chunk of our backyard is planted in a garden and it is beautiful to me. The rest of our yard is mostly unfinished with dirt and rocks and a healthy share of weeds creating a authentic western landscape.(I can't wait until we get grass!!!)

A couple of summers ago we got two willow tree cuttings from our neighbor and we planted them on both sides of our back yard 20ft or so away from the house. One of the trees survived but the other tree lost its leaves eventually and died. Or so I thought.

I noticed a plant that had grown really tall in the week and a half that we were gone and our neighbor had sprayed for weeds the day or so before we left for a family reunion so I was surprised to see it standing so tall. I went over to it with my hoe intending to cut it down when I noticed it had similar leaves to the other willow tree that we had planted a couple of summers ago.

Somehow there must have been some root alive and with the heavy rains we had last week it began to grow. Which teaches me that there is always hope. Even when this plant should have been dead it somehow remained alive. With the right timing and elements it has been able to come back looking even healthier than it did when it was much bigger.

Life seems to happen sometimes with setbacks that cut us back to the very quick. But with the help of the master gardener and a lot of faith and hard work our lives can rise above the weeds and weed killer and grow into beautiful trees, flowers, and gardens.

We can have hope!