The Wisdom of the Trees

Tree in the Yard of a Nursing Home in Cowan

I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.

A poem by Joyce Kilmer

How grateful I am that a grade school teacher asked our class to memorize this poem!  As a shy child, I remember how nervous I was as I stood before my class to recite the poem.  When everyone applauded at the end, I was grateful to experience the power of language to move people.

The thought that a tree looks at God all day and lifts her leafy arms to pray is the language of a mystic.  Joyce Kilmer seems to have understood something about trees that only comes to those who spend a great deal of time outside with the trees.

There is a strength and depth and power that exudes from their presence.

When I go into the woods, I look for the "elder tree," i.e., the oldest tree on that patch of land.  Native Americans understood the importance of seeking the elder tree's permission before camping on a plot of land.  I go to the elder tree to acknowledge its wisdom and to sit underneath it to write and pray.  I place my hands on it and pray for it and bless it.  When I do so, I feel very connected to the tree and to all the trees around me.

I seek the tree's wisdom and blessing.  Does the tree pray for me?  I don't know, but it certainly blesses me in many tangible and intangible ways!

Forest rangers and those who study trees say that they develop social networks and help each other.  Sometimes pairs are so interconnected at the roots that when one dies, the other one dies, too.

Biologists tell us that trees can count, learn, and remember.  They can nurse a sick neighbor and warn other trees of danger.  In fact, trees can keep an ancient stump alive for centuries by feeding it a sugar solution through their roots.

Peter Wohlleben, a forest ranger from Germany, has written and published a book called, "The Hidden Life of Trees:  What They Feel, How They Communicate.  Discoveries From a Secret World."  The book is #1 on the Spiegel best seller list for nonfiction and has been translated in 19 countries.  The English version will come out in September.  I can't wait to get it!

Who knows the depth of a tree?  Joyce Kilmer communicated a profound understanding in a poem to a generation of people.  People can write blogs and poems, but only God can make a tree!

Let us go into the woods with an open heart, a humble heart, seeking the wisdom of the trees.

All God's blessings,
Laura Ellen

Elder Tree Across From St. Mary's Retreat Center in Sewanee

The Cherokee Elders Sat Underneath It To Make Decisions 

Being Whole and Extending Wholeness

Lake Cheston Bridge

It seems to me that we are often so busy trying to work and be productive that we lose sight of what is most important. What is most important is God's work in our lives; i.e., what God is trying to do in and through us. God loves us and wants each of us to be healed, delivered and whole.  Being whole and extending wholeness to others is our life's work and will require everything we have.  

This truth was vividly brought to light this afternoon as I spoke at length with a friend about a personnel issue that has caused her sleepless nights, a churning stomach, and spiked blood pressure.  When we were able to center in God's presence to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit, peace flowed and with that peace came God's light and wisdom.  She was able to see more clearly how God is bringing her into greater wholeness through this troubling issue.  She realized her responsibility is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide her, and not to take the burden upon herself.  Easier said than done!  

My friend was able to discern that God wants to work through her to bring help to both her and her employee.  This insight removed some of the burdensome aspects of dealing with misbehavior.  She realized that she is to be an extender of what she receives from God.   She is not her employee's judge, she is an agent of mercy, a vessel extending the opportunity for wholeness, both for herself and her employee.   

Each of us has received mercy in abundance, and forgiveness, too.  God asks us to extend that mercy and forgiveness to others.  Yes, I know.  Easier said than done!  This can only be done in the power of the Holy Spirit.  In the Spirit, we become healed (whole) and extend that healing (wholeness) to others.  

Being whole and extending wholeness are two-way streets we travel up and down with the help of the Holy Spirit, as we are willing.  

Everything becomes fodder for forgiveness and healing, every relationship, every interaction, every memory. When each issue is held up to God for healing light, it is transformed.  And the one who holds the issue before God becomes an agent of healing.  

Thanks be to God for all the healing agents at work in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit!  Lord, heal me so that I might be an agent of healing in others' lives.  I want to be whole myself and to extend the gift of wholeness to others, for Your glory.  

Lake Cheston Reflecting the Summer Sky

Being Completely Myself in This Moment

Tree Branches in My Front Yard

It feels good to be writing again after a break of several months.  We need breaks.  They can give us a fresh perspective.  But it is good to be back at my writing table, a familiar place, one I love and where I nestle in the comfort of being completely myself in this moment.    

Oh, how good it is to be present in this moment and to allow the flow of this moment into the next as I listen to Bach and write for 25 minutes!  This is the method I will use in the next few weeks to record my thoughts. I shall share those thoughts here on this blog for you, my reader, as God leads both of us.   

God is here with me as God is there with you.  There are an abundance of gifts all around us, all awaiting our openness to receive them.  Do you believe this?  I know that I do!  

Openness in this moment to the gifts that are here right now is my theme.  My writing is an invitation for you to receive the gifts God is bringing through me as I unwrap my own presents and show them to you.  

Since I am a photographer, I shall often post photographs.  It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.  That's the way I view each of my photographs.  A great deal is being shown, so I encourage you to tarry a while with each one and allow the scene to invite you in.  Walk around and take your time to see what is there. Let the Spirit speak to your heart.    

I consider my photographs as prayers.  Most of them are taken as I stand breathless before a view, completely enraptured and in awe.  

I look out my bedroom window and see the results of a recent snow.  I thought you might enjoy seeing the photograph I took outside my bedroom window.   

All the blessings of starting again,

Laura Ellen   

View From My Bedroom Window

All That Is Good and Beautiful

Lake Cheston in Sewanee

The peace of this lake beckons to me to join in its reflection of all that is good and beautiful.

My heart receives its gift of peace.    

My pace slows; my body relaxes; my mind's eye opens wider.

I stop to gaze at the birds flying overhead.  With what grace they fly through the air!    

Look at how blue the sky is colored today!  

The clouds float like lazy reclining ladies, each movement like a ballerina's outstretched arm.

The wind ripples through the water making the clouds dance!  

Could anything ever be more beautiful, more perfect, than this moment?  

I become aware of the sound of the wind through the pine trees.

My ears open to hear more of this swishing, delicate music.  

A bird adds staccato notes to the melody, then another calls out.  

Shall I join the glad chorus all around me?  

At that moment I become aware that my heart is already humming a tune.

Still and quiet, I listen to this inner music.  It is full of joy.

I begin to move forward.  The deer are waiting across the bridge.  

In the peace of the lake,

Laura Ellen

Angels Are All Around Us

On a sign in a planter at my kitchen sink are the words, "Angels Are All Around Us."  There's a good reason I have that sign there!  

For as long as I can remember, I've been aware of the presence of angels and loving spirit beings all around me.  This awareness is a great comfort to me whenever I am in a dangerous situation.  I do not panic no matter what is happening because I know that protection is as close as a prayer.  "Lord, send Your holy angels here to watch over us and to protect us from harm."

When I lived in Columbia, South Carolina, two young women asked me to come to their new business one night to bless the premises and to ask for God's blessings on their work.  Toward the end of our time together, I asked them to have a seat close to me so I could pray for them.  We joined hands and I prayed. When my words ended, a deep hush and rest descended over the three of us.  We simply sat in silence with our eyes closed.  This had happened to me frequently that year so I was very comfortable in the silence. So apparently were they.  After a period of 10 minutes or so, I felt led to open my eyes while still in a place of deep rest.  What I saw on the face of the young woman in front of me can hardly be described.

Her eyes were fixated on something behind me and far above me.  She looked up with such a radiance on her face, her eyes filled with awe and reverence.  Her whole face was lit up in a glory I've never seen before or since.

Yet, even with that look of  utter amazement on her face, she was at peace, and so was I.  The deep rest overtook me once again and I closed my eyes for several more minutes.  Clearly, whatever she saw was glorious!

The next time I opened my eyes, the deep rest had lifted and they, too, had opened their eyes.  We smiled at each other for a long minute or two in perfect peace before I blurted out, "What in the world did you see behind me?"

"An angel!"  the young woman exclaimed, "and he was enormous!"

She went on to describe every detail of how the angel looked as he stood behind me.  Since that time, I've wondered if he is my guardian angel and if he is always with me.  This is surely a comforting thought!

What do you know about angels?  Have you ever had an encounter with one?

It's All A Matter of Perspective

This photograph was taken yesterday afternoon in my backyard near sunset.  How different this photograph is from the one I posted previously of the very same area!  That's right, believe it or not, both of these photographs were taken in my backyard from about the same viewing spot.

What we see is a matter of perspective, isn't it?

We all know people whose lives have been filled with tragedy, but yet their faces are filled with softness and even sweetness.  They seem to view life from the perspective of blessing and thanksgiving.  Ask them how they're doing?  More often than not, they'll give you a smile and maybe even a testimony!

Conversely, we also know people who have experienced hardship and that hardness is reflected on their faces.  They seem to view life from the perspective of lack.  Ask them how they're doing and you might get a scowl with rolling eyes as an answer!  Or worse, a litany of complaints!

The reality is that each of us has suffered and known hardships.  Each of us has faced tragedy and learned to deal with hard knocks.  No one is exempt.
But how we choose to deal with those hardships and tragedy is a choice we make daily for the rest of our lives.

I admire people who have suffered greatly, recovered, and instead of chronically complaining about their hardships, quietly reach out to help someone else who is suffering.  These are our wounded healers who make such a difference in the world, bringing light and healing to many.  Bill W who founded Alcoholics Anonymous taught his followers that the way to maintain sobriety is to reach out to help another alcoholic.  I've experienced that truth in my life.  When I reach out to help someone else, somehow my own healing and compassion penetrate deeper and open avenues into new beginnings.  

How we respond to the circumstances of our life is a matter of choice.  Our choices can become etched on our faces and even define us as we age.

What is your perspective on the bad things that have happened in your life?