I don't know much about roses. I didn't suspect they could survive nights below freezing. Nights in my neighborhood have dropped well below 32 degrees F on several occasions over the past two weeks.

True, the rose bush across the street from my home is almost devoid of roses in bloom. One rose, though, seems to have a tenacious hold on life. This rose is , to me, a beautiful gift this Christmas Eve, a gift I only had to look at to appreciate. There are gifts for all of us to enjoy, gifts of beauty and love and perhaps the gift of an occasional miracle, if we care to look for them.

Merry Christmas, December 24, 2007