I’ve been pushing seeds down into the dirt since December 1st. Counting down the days to the coming of the Christ-child…counting up my blessings.

Today’s seed goes 730 days down deep…

…black dirt caked thick under my fingernails. I cover up the seed with dirt, but I can’t cover up my heart; aching and raw. Once again, my tears water this tiny seed, believing beyond all belief–beyond the missing, beyond the grief, beyond the questions–that what will sprout forth from this death will be a tree of life, a mighty oak of hope, “a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor” (Isaiah 61:3).