Texas seasons can be brutal for plants and trees. This January an ice storm left mounds of rock solid ice in our yard. Several of the plants in our landscaping were completely buried in ice. Not snow. Ice. We expected they would not survive. The ice very slowly melted and many of the bushes were buried for a week. The plants looked barren as they gradually reappeared. Day after day it seemed likely replacements would be coming. Then one glorious day tiny buds began to appear on the branches. Green buds sprouted in defiance of winters brutal assault. I stopped and meditated on the miracle of life emerging out of barrenness.  I thought of the words of philosopher Bernard Williams. “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” I love that.  Is there anything more hopeful than watching the beauty of budding leaves and blooming flowers turning the melancholy of winter into a wondrous palette
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