It had been a while. A long while, actually.

The last time I passed you, you were cold. Tall. Lean. You looked like you’d seen better days. In fact, I remembered those days — I saw them, too. They seemed like they were so long ago.

I can’t say for sure whether my not coming around was intentional or a byproduct of something deeper. I was struggling with some things emotionally, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been a bit depressed and out of sorts over them. I didn’t know you were what I needed, but when I saw you it made me realize how far I’d come. Just like you.

I was midway through my walk — a walk I’d been neglecting in order to tend to matters of the heart and to lick my wounds — when you came into view.

You looked happy.

Complete.

Refreshed.

In a way, I felt the same. Isn’t it funny what a season can bring?

One of my favorite trees along my walk isn’t anything special, but it does keep me on my toes. During the winter, I’ll get a bony, narrow branch in the eye if I’m not careful. Spring has given it new life, as last night’s mileage-logging brought me face to face with an old friend. He stood proud, full of greenery I hadn’t seen for months.

I was shocked at how a relatively short amount of time had changed things — for him, and for me. We both had a new look, a little more to give, and we’d both said goodbye to the cold and the empty. And at the end of the day, isn’t positive change all we can ask for?

Tonight I am thankful for the strong yet unassuming tree along my route. It provided a much needed reminder that we can endure far more than we think, even if if stretches us to our limits.

We are mighty.

Seasons change, renewal will come, the sun will continue to shine and leaves will fill our lives again, beautifying our world.