I have to give credit to my friend Mitzi Budde for the phrase that has become the title. This was her observation and it stuck. I continue to be in awe of this plucky little former tree.

This was what hope looked like on a Wednesday morning. Not the greatest picture, but if you look at the bright green shoots with the tinge of color, that’s what I’m talking about. Three weeks before this morning late in August, a tree surgeon came and cut down our beloved 20+ year old crepe myrtle. It had split under the weight of snow during the winter and then picked up an infestation called bark scale. There were no flowers this year, just a lot of white dots. My choice was to trim and treat with chemicals, which he did not think would work, or to raze it to the ground and see what Mother Nature would do. Mother Nature is winning…life is winning. And some day there will be a new tree on this old foundation. Yep, that’s what hope looks like today.

Addendum 9/5/2022: Mother Nature, and life, continues the winning streak. Two weeks later, resurrection continues. Here’s the current status of hope in the garden bed. I wouldn’t be surprised if it bloomed big pink flowers any day now.