Trees

When you look at a tree what do you see?  Next time you have a few moments take a look…, find an older tree and study it. Look at its bark, its trunk, how many branches does it have?  Study how it’s grown and in how many different ways. Know that it's alive and living and surviving. Through all weathers. Come rain or shine. And it’s thriving… And has been for many, many years. Its bark will bear scars, perhaps from the weather or disease or deliberate attacks. Some of its branches will have stopped growing instead putting its energy into stronger more productive branches. It matters not. Some branches will be forever evolving and growing and reaching upwards to the sky. Producing new leaves and new branches year after year. Decade after decade. What stories could this tree tell you? What sights have passed before it? And yet it remains… strong, growing and wise.  An old tree has seen it all, survived it all and keeps on growing.  Not only upwards but downwards too. Its roots are well established into the earth. Probing, reaching and supporting every branch and leaf that we are blessed to see. And they too continue to grow and nourish.  A tree truly is a magnificent sight.  We could learn a lot from trees, as crazy as it sounds and without trees we would not be here. This is not meant to be a save the trees article more an appreciation of things that we take for granted in this life.  Something so simple, so strong and so essential and yet we barely take the time to see.  If a tree can always be growing even if it’s had a few misdirection’s and chosen a different branch, if a tree can survive all weathers and still stand firm and if a tree can only provide life to other beings and animals then imagine what you are capable of doing.