I have been taking a lot of photos this Fall. The color of the trees has been astounding, perhaps due to the very dry Summer and Autumn we have enjoyed. I’ve been more alert to the changes of the trees this year, and have been enjoying watching them closely.
So, today, as I watched the cruel rain storm stripping the Maples and sturdy Sycamores in my yard, I stopped to really think about these giants and their many gifts. They are generous, tenacious, and unselfish. Think about it. They spend all their energy giving us oxygen, shade, shelter, and beauty. They provide homes for our feathered and furry friends, and create nuts and seeds for them to eat. They tirelessly produce leaves, only to have them wither and fall each Autumn. Do they complain? Nope. They just start working on the next batch in the Spring. What great powers of example these noble trees are.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we really gave our life force each day to make the World a better place for everyone? What if we focused on sharing everything we have with those who needed food and shelter? What kind of species would we become if we had the generosity of Trees?
The current news cycles are pushing me, in desperation, toward thoughts of an opposite type of behavior. Don’t we want to find the good in others? Don’t we want to help one another get through life’s most difficult struggles? Don’t we all want to protect little children from war and pain and destruction?
I would love to think that my Soul was infused with the generosity and unswerving duty and altruism of Trees. I know that I don’t possess that extreme Grace, much as I would like to think I do. I am not that charitable, or loving, or selfless, except in my wildest dreams. But, you have to admit, it is something to which we should aspire. Remember Sam Cooke’s refrain….What a Wonderful World this would be.
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