"It is ruined! How will we ever fix all of this?" The little hand gestured dramatically. The dry ground appeared barren - desolate - neglected.
"This used to be our best lucerne field .... ever!" The pause for effect.
"What happened? Why did you dump all these rocks here?"
Ah the brutality of a child's logic.
"Why don't you pick them up? And why do you just leave all these piles of dead trees?"
My eldest heaved a sigh as if suddenly burdened with a great weight.
"You know it used to be beautiful and green a long time ago. Long, long before you were born. Then there was a terrible flood. It dumped all these rocks here. The fences were dragged down with the flooding waters. After the flood it didn't rain again....for seven years. What the flood didn't destroy, the drought did. BUT....we survived! We are still here!"
I smiled as I watched him process the enormity of what I was saying.
Something nearing understanding broke aross his face; "Not just us survived, Mama. Also the goats! And the sheep. And the chickens"
He spun around happily; "And look at all the trees that are growing!" The puzzled expression set in again.
"But Mama! How will we ever fix all the broken fences or replace the water pipes so that food will grow here again? How do we make it all beautiful again"
"Well that is the miracle! It will be more beautiful than ever before! Look at all the wonderful animal life here! All the bird life returning. The bugs, and butterflies, and bees! More than ever before! And you know why?"
A frantic shaking head.
"They know that soon this will be more wonderful than it was before."
"It will take a lot of time. It will take a lot of really hard work. But soon this will look like a paradise. Look at the homestead. Look how green it is this year. Look at the waterfall that has started running agin. Life is returning! The animals already understand and they are returning. You must also understand so that you can help us work towards that hope! Because a hope realized makes the heart rejoice!"
We walked back home across the barren wasteland with a light step. Ahead was home - nestled in vibrant green - like an oasis of hope and promise.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick
.... but hope realized .... ah, hope realized gives joy to the heart!
This post is for #SublimeSunday inspired by 
