Life Goes On

You have to gain a healthy respect for life when you see how it refuses to give-up regardless of what gets thrown at it. This morning as I was outside with Saga waiting for her to sniff every blade of grass on the way to the park and the way back I was contemplating my poor aspens. They have taken quite a beating over the past few weeks.
Four times over the past couple months they have been bashed, battered, and ripped to shreds by hailstones. The noteworthy golf ball-sized hail of two weeks ago, a couple pea-sized hail storms and one with marble-sized hail have been a terror to the trees. Many times this summer, most recently Thursday when I arrived home from work during a mid-afternoon thunderstorm that produced the most recent hail this summer, I have wondered if the trees were too badly damaged to make it through the summer let alone coming winter.

And then I see this…

Beautiful new leaves, clean, green, and pristine are sprouting out all over the poor battered aspen trees. And to think that I was recently told aspens "didn't do well in Colorado."

We have about a month left of the summer. Perhaps the storms will abate and allow these newly sprung leaves to grow to maturity. Perhaps not. Whatever happens, right now I know that live goes on and that there is a chance I will see this again in April after the winter has passed.

Wherever you are today, I hope that you have experienced to lift your soul.

Don Bergquist – August 10, 2009 – Lakewood, Colorado, USA