Thank You Very Sweet

This photo was taken six years ago in a place that I used to love.  This was before Hope died, at my friend Klay’s birthday party.  That’s Klay, my friend, in the picture with Hope.  Hope – my baby apple tree – died one or two years ago, I can’t remember.  Around then I settled in to being regular, although I suppose that’s never really been true. But I was telling myself this story anyway, that my life is average and that fitting in is fine. I started making average decisions.

But I remember how fun it was to hope.  I’ve been re-membering lately.  Listening to “He’s Able” by Deitrick Haddon while I drive and putting some things back together.  There was some benefit to the death of Hope, I suppose.  The whole thing was sobering and I am more grounded today than I was six years ago.  But I also remember how fun it was to hope for incredible things.  I’m wondering today if I can find the balance between the two, being grounded and hopeful at the same time.

There will be no apples from this tree, it’s dead.  But last week I encountered another little tree in a friend’s backyard; a healthy little baby tree planted at the spot where she buried her mother’s ashes  – her mother was a Queen.  And my Queen mom, Margot, moved into a new house in June and has a full grown apple tree planted behind her yard.  And in May I officiated a wedding on an apple orchard, lots of apples grow there. It’s all just interesting to think about.  Maybe there is hope.