Thursday, January 7, 2010

Lessons From Nature


It has been SO cold lately, wavering between 5-10 degrees in the mornings, BUT it has been incredibly beautiful. SO I had to take this picture of these 2 old willow trees in my yard.

These trees have stood tall for more years than anyone can recall and have been around my husband's entire life and have seen and heard all of the goings on in our community. If these trees could talk I'm sure they would have a lot to say!

They have withstood the elements and seasons of change, but not without damage and scars. They have been struck by lightening with such a deafening crack that it resonated throughout this little valley. Even the old timers remember these majestic old relics as the stalwart giants they are today.

They have provided switches for swattings, limbs for swinging and boughs for shading...they completely cover the lawn with the shedding of their fall leaves creating hours of laborious rakings. More importantly, they have served as a reminder of younger years when a precocious little boy, along with his friends and cousins climbed the branches like monkeys in the jungle risking life and limb for their boyish rites of passage.

I love these trees. I look at them as examples of how to endure the everyday trials of life. They continue to bend with the wind and sway with the breeze. They have withstood earthquakes and blizzards and their boughs have become so heavy-laden with snow that they stretch to the ground.

Whatever mother nature send their way, they adapt. Every fall they shed all of their thousands of leaves and every spring they grow new ones. They lose tired old switches everyday but grow new ones that are stronger and more lovely.

We can learn a lot from these trees. We too can shed the old and renew ourselves in a more beautiful and healthy way. Their endurance is sure and serves as an example to us all.

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