What a difference a year makes

These were the photos my friend, Jen, sent me of our backyard last year while Tripp and I were out of town.

Overnight, a violent thunderstorm with 90-100 mph winds had ripped through the area causing widespread damage and power outages. Being the awesome neighbors they are, Jen and her husband came over to check on our house to make sure we didn’t sustain any major damage. And then proceeded to clean up the pool and pick up the larger branches that had fallen in the yard for us.

Yes, I know. They are a treasure. We are so grateful to have them as neighbors and friends.

When we got home later that week, Tripp and I got to work cleaning up the yard and trimming broken branches. At the end of the day it was fairly minor compared to some of our neighbors who had lost giant mature trees, literally ripped out of the ground at the roots. 

During this time I also made the rounds through my flowerbeds to assess the damage to my flowers. For the most part they were relatively unharmed, except for the corner where I have my Shasta Daisies planted and where a large tree limb had fallen and crushed them.

Even after I staked them back upright, my daisies never really fully recovered. The rest of the summer they remained bent and wonky. Which wasn’t that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. A bummer sure, but I’ve come to accept that these kinds of ups and downs are just the nature of having a garden.

Fast forward to this year though, and it’s a different story altogether.

My daisies are thriving. And it makes me so happy to them standing tall and proud in the garden. 

I was thinking about this as I cut a few blooms to bring inside this week.

What a difference a year makes….

I wanted to share this with you today in case you might be going through some storms or setbacks of your own. To encourage you with a gentle reminder that hard seasons don’t last forever. And the promise that, with a little time and some very tender, loving care, there is happiness and joy to be found on the other side.

Love, Kelly