Second Chances

Living out here in the countryside we are exposed to some extreme elements. Wind, storms, and perhaps the biggest killer, frost. Unfortunately out of the many trees I have planted over the years, some have not made it, and some take forever to grow. They bloom in summer but when the frost comes it can be so cruel that even the most resilient species take a knock. I have seen large trees reduced to half the size as large parts of them die off in winter but perhaps saddest thing is to see the young ones die off completely. Once summer returns, so does life, trees that look completely dried out and brittle start showing signs of clawing their way back. Some grow new shoots out from the ground at the base where the old trunk stands, the one in this photograph is now slowly starting to show signs of new life five months from spring. I guess the lesson I take away from this is, we can get beat down and destroyed by elements in and out of our control but if you just hold on and don’t give up on life, life will always find a way.