I look out of my window this morning and see again clear sky space where yesterday lived a cascading wall of leaves.

We had rain overnight. So many leaves found their new spaces on my carpet of grasses, adding a new color and texture to my daily walk.

I can’t wait to experience the crackle underfoot during my walk today.  As the sky spaces widen, I watch the sun rise again with its light contouring the remaining leaves to showcase their golden beauty.

I feel the glow in my being as I start my day.

Thank you.

My husband and I went to Northern California to commune with the ocean and the redwoods for a week’s vacation. Needless to say, it was quite an experience. Can you imagine driving a road that on one side is the ocean, surf, rocks, beaches, and on the other side is the side of a mountain and the largest trees I have ever seen? It was a winding, narrow path to the Redwoods State Park. I did most of the driving as I found it an exhilarating challenge to navigate the road. We arrived at one of the State Parks, and took an amazing walk through these hundreds to thousands of years old trees. These mammoths are usually so straight and tall, and have been witnesses to so many events, animals and feelings for so long that I felt very humbled being around them.

After walking for an hour or so, we came upon a tree which took our breath away. Here was a tree which was almost completely uprooted and had landed on the ground, yet there was a sudden 90 degree bend in its trunk that then found its way straight up and about 150 feet toward the light. This tree had almost experienced death. Yet, there was one root which stayed deep in the ground and remembered its place in the sun, giving life…just enough…so the tree was able to turn itself around and find its way back up to its very own place in the light and fully take what life was left for it.  We were so taken by this tree that we just both found ourselves hugging it and putting our ears to the bark so we could hear its message.

This tree told me that it is still straight and tall in its heart and memory. It told me it is strong and wise, and holds firmly the truths of the earth. Who knows but maybe it, along with the others, helps to hold the strength and truth of our mother earth as we go about forgetting all of where we came from.

Someone or something has to hold the truths for us until we can begin to honor where we came from and hold it for ourselves.

Thank you, TREE of LIFE!