LIFE IS LIKE A BROKEN BRANCH FROM THE ICE STORM

The Ice Storm of 2014 brought initial damage and hydro outages. Everyone rallied and supported each other. With Spring arriving the whole impact of that event continues to surface. While cleaning up my yard and area of the smaller branches, some thoughts came to mind. Life can bring a major crisis that is seen and felt. It is the small pieces of the aftermath that may need attention and "cleanup". For example, when a loved one dies, the beginning is coping with the grief, the funeral, the other family members and sometimes going through the motions. The following months and sometimes years, "the cleanup" of the little things continue to keep the event present. Often life is just permanently changed and not always for the better. As can be seen with the number of trees cut down or decimated with a trunk with a couple of branches still standing. Moving on from major events takes perseverance, work and patience. Continuing to talk about the event with trusted friends can help. Currently, people are discussing their Spring cleanup of branches, do they cut down a tree and often just how many trees they lost. Families often talk about how many people or the"trees" in their lives that are missing too. We all face some major events-whether natural disasters, deaths, job losses, divorce and even the empty nest syndrome. Do we feel like there are "broken " branches? What do we do with them? How do we move on? Can we live with the sense that life will never be the same? Then like nature and trees, there can new growth, different from the old but new. A chance to rebuild, see beauty and take on the new. What can be amazing is even decimated trees try to survive! Little shoots grow from chopped spots turning into new branches! Reflecting back on major events in my life from the time I was 4 to the present, there is a realization of many broken branches but also new growth and the wonderful premise that life does give us many new chances when we are able to grasp them. Ah patience-yes I have it! My forest of life may have some interesting trees but it is still standing which is most important, isn't it?