Oh Alice, so sorry!

But was it worth it anyway? Only you can answer. Did it feel good to be out there working and nurturing, and digging while you were doing it? Will some plants survive and recover, despite the beating they took? Can some seeds be resown? Will there be another year, or other years when the hail stones don't hit and the garden is glorious, helped along by the loving attention you continuously provided to the earth on the ground or in the pots? Can you fill a decimated bed with flowering annuals that will cheer with their beauty in a few weeks or a month?

We all might have different responses to these questions. There are certainly no right or wrong answers. For me, the reality of life is "shit happens", whether it be life in and of the garden or in other aspects of life. Let the crap compost, and much that is good and positive is nurtured. Lessons in the value and strengths to be found in developing resilience is how I choose to see it. (after I've cried or despaired, sometimes.)