Keeping up appearances

Everything is not what it seems, someone once told me. The statement is simplistic, but so true. I have a friend who on first meeting seemed quite gruff, but over time and under the right circumstances, she has proven to be one of the sweetest, most soft-hearted people I know.

There are so many scenarios that without further evaluation are deceptive. Married couples who seem happy on the surface...but dig a little deeper and they are two signatures away from a divorce. Product advertisements that don't live up to their claims. Desserts that look delicious, but don't taste good enough to warrant the calories.

Today was a dreary, rainy day. And although it is technically spring, it sure didn't feel like it. The air was cold and damp. The clouds looming over head were ominous. The trees in a nearby park, on my way to the office supply store, were still without buds. The news on my car's radio told of the chaos in England due to G-20 rioters and the pressure put on President Obama to fix not only the economic woes of the United States but the ENTIRE world. The outlook for this day could not have been much more dismal and gray.

Leading up to this summit were the president's television appearances. His calm demeanor, not giving way to duress that could crack a nut, a weaker man, or both, challenges us all to hope. Hope in a better future. Hope that our government can fix this mess that we're in. Down and almost out, I can hear the referee counting.... where does the tenacity come from?

As I drove back home, I got my answer. Amidst the grass, beaten brown from the winter weather and the oaks long vacant limbs, showing no signs of rescusitation, there was a lone, beautiful, tree with pink buds. A sign of hope.