There is hope...

Hope amid adversity. I took a picture of this thistle on my hike last year. It reminds me that yes, thorns and thistles might spring up, but there really is beauty tucked away within each of our trials that can make it something beautiful. This past week several people I know have died from cancer. I am personally struggling right now with the ol' mid life crisis - which I thought to be a myth. I spent some time last week on a few hikes, thinking about God and the beauty of His creation. I was looking forward to another wander today, but I ended up spraining my ankle on Saturday in a hole on the lawn, dug by my dog. Not to mention my ongoing gallbladder issue and perimenopause symptoms. Then my son is still going through struggles of manhood vs the kid in him as he is struggling with job issues, and he needs the job for school costs. And of course, I seem to be going no where with writing right now, though I am preparing for a writing conference next week and a job interview for part time employment at a library this week.

Hope can still spring eternal even if adversity may be striking. A beauty in a common thistle. A silver lining in the cloud. If one is patient and does not despair.