[Nevertheless] They Prepare the Way

Taking in nature around us, it seemed odd to hear highway noise so close by. This more urban hike, at times literally feet from the highway, is a new adventure for us. 

Boardwalk and highway, tall grass and landfill, bird calls and traffic roar, juxtaposed like my good days and bad days, health scares and good test results, and my ability to hike four miles one day and struggle through a mile and a half another. 

Looking around as we wend our way down the wooded path, broken branches litter our surroundings. Broken trees, some completely uprooted, are not an uncommon sight. It seems Mother Nature is doing some pruning of her own. Fluctuating temperatures produce rain turned to ice and snow, weighing down boughs to their breaking point, then soaking the ground before freezing once again as temperatures plummet. Fluctuations in my health have the same effect on how heavy life activities feel and what needs to fall away so that I can emerge from this season of my life healthier and ready for new growth. 

Things may fall away in our lives during difficult times, nevertheless, they prepare the way for something beautiful.