The Trees

I"m still downloading from my little retreat last weekend.  One aspect of nature/creation that has, over the course of my life, spoke to me have been trees.  If I went on about this, you may likely consider me a bit crazy - oh yeah, that's right, I am.

During my walk about, I was affected by the trees.  MH (my hubby) chides me about the trees, saying that I have some odd connection with trees - I don't know what it is about trees?  It seems like they have things to tell me.  They SHARE with me.  There were 3 distinct things that they touched me with:

1.  The Pine trees teaching me about friends and living together.

2.  The old dead and dying beautiful trees, oddly shaped, oddly colored, brittle yet BEAUTIFUL.

3.  The old cherry tree (I think it was a cherry tree).  Now that tree was 'something'.  It sat tangled up with some brambles by a little stream.  It shared an encouragement to me.  I cried at that tree - I'm crying now but I can't even communicate in words what it was, how it 'spoke' to me.  But I left with hope.

And then, the book.  I had no intention of picking up any books - I was listening.  It was getting to be late in the afternoon and I knew my time was almost over.  I was sitting, looking out over the view behind the house, trying to listen.  I believe that I was specifically diverted away from my contemplation and drawn to the bookshelf and a particular book - I didn't even see the name of the book but knew that's where I was drawn.  I got up and slid the book from the shelf.  The title was the name of a TREE.  How funny, gloriously funny.  I've since read the book, but that's another post.

I wonder about the marvelous creation and the ways in which God uses it to speak to us.  I wonder at how much we likely MISS because we aren't being sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit in this.  Maybe I'm crazy, yes, we've already established that haven't we, but give it a try.