It was a weary day.  For him.  For me.  But still we walked. Our pre-supper exercise remained unchanged.

We both noticed the oleander shrubs were black. Black because the cold of winter had come unexpectedly hard this year and hit the tender. The parts exposed were hurt.  The vulnerable branches were damaged.

Oh my.  I too have been hit. Cold has come and blackened my tender. My heart hurts. Bad hurt sometimes.

Just like those shrubs, my heart should stay closer to The Root.  Like those plants, the fringes of me wouldn’t suffer so when the cold comes.

And it does come.  The cold.  The carnage of suffering.

But just like those shrubs, life comes from the root. The picture I took of that same oleander plant now shows new life coming back.

Restoration comes after suffering.

Happily ever after, beth