Monday, April 12, 2010

hold on

Today it rained hard for 5 hours and the wind blew twisting and turning the trees. Upon inspection we found almonds all over the ground, shook loose before their time. We are new at this and it's easy to take things personal.
It causes anxiety and worry for my husband, something I think only time will decrease, nothing like a few seasons under your belt to dispel useless fretting. We came upon this one tree that was different from all the rest surrounding it. Green leaves had been perfectly removed from their stems and lay in small piles at the base of its trunk. It looked intentional and that alone gave me a creepy feeling. Hubby made some calls and received no tangible answers.


I read this today by Mary Oliver and such peace entered my soul...

~The Trees~
Do you think of them as decoration?
Think again.
Here are maples, flashing.
And here are the oaks, holding on all winter
to their dry leaves.
And here are the pines, that will never fail,
until death, the instruction to be green.
And here are the willows, the first
to pronounce a new year.
May I invite you to revise your thoughts about them?
Oh, Lord, how we are all for invention and
advancement!
But I think
it would do us good if we would think about
these brothers and sisters, quietly and deeply.
The trees, the trees, just holding on
to the old, holy ways.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I do always feel like big trees are so old and holy. :) I have come across a few rare aged giants in my time and have felt really blessed to have been under them. I will never forget a huge ceiba tree my husband & I saw in costa rica. Sometimes we talk about going back to visit it. :)

Re: gluten-free, are you familiar with http://bluebirdbaby.typepad.com/bluebirdbaby/glutenfree_/

or her partner's gluten-free food blog http://toogoodtobetrue.typepad.com/

:) Brooke

Deb said...

I'm a big tree lover {and hugger} :-) The Mary Oliver quote is wonderful. We live near a large park/woods where my dog & I walk every day - full of very old trees that have bent and twisted reaching for sun. Many now have an "x" marked on them...it is so sad to think they will be gone. What a lovely spot you have to learn about the trees ♥

Wanda said...

We had those rains and winds today too, in fact some hail...I didn't have trees to worry about, but the rain and wind did beat down my newly bloomed iris...How sad. Wish now I cut them and put them in a vase.

Love the poem on trees....wonderful.. We will keep your little Orchard in our prayers, and the precious farmers that tend it!!