Trees are an important symbol in my life. Fortunately I live in an older neighborhood with many trees. A walk to school is mostly shaded and my family is serenaded on the way by a woodpecker, blue jay, cardinal, and the ever-present grackle.
What a tree means to me:
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| A tree in our backyard. |
If I'm talking about faith, a tree represents how, many years ago, I was rooted in faith and my faith grows deeper and wider. I have experienced seasons of withering faith where the leaves fell off my branches, but spring/Easter/resurrection have always followed a season of winter.
If I'm talking about my marriage, a tree represents my relationship with my husband. A carelessly planted seed of friendship sprouted a twig and as we've weathered winters and springs together, we've grown stronger and our love has grown deeper and wider. (We've been married almost 12 years!)
If I'm talking about my children, their life is like a tree. When they were born, they needed constant nurture and care and shelter from their parents. As they are growing, they are sprouting little timid branches, slowly stepping out into the world. Some of their branches will break, but I am hopeful that the nurture Adam and I are providing while they are saplings will help them maintain inner strength and the ability to weather the storms of their lives.
If I'm talking about love, we all start out small and only loving ourselves and the people in our immediate environment. As we age, we start branching out and loving others, and that love begins to feed our core so we can grow deeper and branch out more to love more and more until we have taken up the entire neighborhood with our love branches.
Trees are an important metaphor to my life.
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