Broken Things -- All Around

I'm not even certain when it began. Perhaps the problem was visible all those years ago and we didn't notice. Or maybe we DID notice it... but, failed to give it the attention needed. That's the most likely scenario. How often in our lives do we miss the obvious? How often do we neglect something until it's beyond repair?

If I were to read the above words at the beginning of a post, my mind would immediately form these questions:

• Is this post about a failing relationship?
• I wonder what happened?
• I wonder how serious this is??
• What did they do?
• Regardless of the above... I'm sure this is NOT a mistake I've made or would ever make!

But, alas, the failure & ugliness I'm reminded of today is related to the life & longevity of our fence! Our wooden fence, which separates the corn fields from our outdoor living space, was built about 15 years ago by the builder of this house. When we purchased the property, the fence wasn't fancy -- wooden & worn. But, it served a purpose. It was nice for privacy. And, the best thing was it kept a LOT of debris from blowing into that area!

When we bought the house, we should've immediately begun repairs on the fence. But, other things took the money that would fund those repairs. Life has a way of costing much more than we anticipate. The fence got a little more "rickety" as time moved on... until the spring storms of 2014 took their toll! The strong winds coming in from the southwest wove their way around a tall wall of pine trees on the west & the metal pole barn on the south...  and snapped the support posts all along the fence. It was NOT a pretty picture or a happy day. There's no "easy fix" for something like that.

Chicken wire was strung along the "fence line" to keep debris out. It was horribly ugly that spring... and in the fall... and that winter. However, this spring the day lilies which lined the outside of that fence came back strong. They've grown right through that chicken wire... and covered up almost all of the ugly. 

I know there's no fence there. I still want one some day. (And, the sooner, the better!) I know that chicken wire is my current privacy fence. But, today I'm making a choice. Today, I'm choosing to see the BEAUTY in the BROKEN. And, I am finding strength in that choice! I find strength in... the fact that when I choose to, I can find beauty in the brokenness!

That's a valuable LESSON for many aspects of LIFE! There's always a lot of "broken" things in this world. But, if we look hard enough, there's also some beauty in that brokenness!

The choice is yours. What will you do with some of the not-so-beautiful you are facing?


Linking up with... Tuesday at Ten for the writing prompt, "I feel strength when..."