I was meditating as I often do, and when I opened my eyes the first thing I noticed was a tree. ?There are several in my yard so it was no strange thing, but for some reason I was struck by the lessons a tree can teach.
In many ways we are like the trees.
Each year, each turning of the season brings more change, both internal and external.? The trees grow taller, stronger.? They bloom in their own time, and weather the storms.? Even the harshest storm brings rain to aid in growth, just as hardship brings experience, and from experience comes wisdom.
We are meant to grow and give.
The trees for all their stationary appearance branch out above and below.? They bud and blossom, wither and wait; all the while their roots go deeper.? They cling to the earth, clinging to life as they offer up the bounty of themselves.
Wounded, we scar and heal.
Even the trees are wounded from time to time, their sap running out like so much blood.? Some wounds are beyond repair, but many scar and heal.? The trees grow on, gnarled and twisted in appearance, but still they give.? The scars do not stop the tree, they become part of the tree.
To offer as the tree offers.
With its branches the tree offers shelter, just as with our arms we can offer the shelter of our love, and like the roots of a tree that love goes deep. ?What fruit the tree bares is given forth to?nourish, and so we too can share what we have. ?And like the sweet smell of blossoms on the breeze so too can we spread kindness with our words.
I want to be more like a tree.
What inspires you? ?What would you be more like?
*Photo: Tree Silhouettes by John-Morgan, obtained through Flickr.
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