Just Golden

The dead of winter usually bothers me — a lot.

Normally, it truly hurts to see all of that green sucked right out of those blades of grass, the vibrant canopy of leaves sucked right off the trees, as if the trees were literally dying of thirst. Broken, brittle branches scattered across the earth — literally, not an ounce of life left.

I close my eyes when I have to look outside…it’s just too painful to watch. I have emotions to protect, after all.

Nothing gets to my emotions like the dead of winter.

But somehow, this year, the ugly brown shimmers — like gold.

The grass isn’t brown — it glows with a golden shimmer. Is that life I see in those dead branches? Is there something alive here?

And somehow, the whole earth is beautiful, no matter what color it’s wearing.