Evergreens Re-Do

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

We'll outlast Winter and breath in new life. We will bloom in Spring and lift our hands to hope and wisps of feathery clouds until Summer creeps in, washing the land in light, darkening our exteriors while brightening our disposition. The sun will bare down on open fields and the wind will be welcome to beat against moist necks and damp hair. The Autumn phoenix will again dance and burst with color before the coming onslaught of grey December days short and icy. So the seasons circular track goes and the years overlap as hairlines recede. Youth - for now under appreciated to the point of being virtually overlooked - will slip from groping hands and age will settle into our hearts and joints. Sometimes I feel the aging process when I tug at my beard and remember the thinning spot on my crown. Exhaustion sets in well before midnight and I battle for one A.M. to prove I'm still youthful. Will we welcome death and join our maker after deep sleep and the cessation of memory or struggle to grasp the life we once led? The last breath should be exalted and prayers whispered in earnest. Our final exhalation should be spent giving thanks for the time here and praise for the eternity to come. And one day we'll be those evergreen on the hillsides, those reminders of endless life and the vision of hope to those lost in the barren Winter.