There's this great expanse of sky all around. An atmosphere of understanding and an undeniable, unending amount of truth. There's just enough misleading done by an enemy at once within and without, pacing up and down the miles of earth, to distract from and upset the balance of harmony instilled by a trust and honest belief in God to lead to discontent if ideas of this world are whole-heartedly entertained. Sometimes I paint my face up in illusions of money and lust and gluttony so perfectly that I forget to count the blessing as numerous as the stars hanging above;

Glorious light through old blinds on a clear morning, my mother's smile, my father's firm embrace given upon departure, Conrad taking time out of his schedule to exchange a few words on the telephone, a man offering his blessing from down the highways of telephone wires suspended over fields and city streets to close out a long work day, and the promise of faithfulness and ceaseless forgiveness.

Sometimes it's helpful to take stock of the things that bring even the smallest amount of joy into life that seems to be an endless walk towards nothingness. It's becoming rather apparent that all things have purpose and everyone has a part to play. It's about time to get into character.

Jagged barbed wire perched on top of cold chain link fences all against a back drop of bare, grey trees is, for some, reason to lose hope. The visual can tug it right out of you. It's also a reminder, though, that in a matter of time those same trees will again burst with new life and overshadow the presence of the fences that stand before them.

...and one day we'll be evergreens.