Swaying in the Wind

"Trees are the earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven"

-Rabindranath Tagore

"Through the Trees", 2012
Yellowstone National Park, WY

I have always been fascinated with trees.  I love everything about them ... their shade, strength, flexibility, and color.  They provide us with so much.  

Several years ago (probably too many to count) I had to provide a devotion to a group of seniors.  I didn't have anything prepared and was sitting on my front porch looking out at the many trees that filled my yard.  The wind was blowing briskly and I watched as the trees swayed back and forth.  Right then and there I realized I may not have a written devotion to share with the group but a lesson was being provided to me right in front of my eyes.  I quickly grabbed my notebook and started writing down my thoughts.... 

Trees tell us a lot about our relationship with God.  If you watch a tree sway in the wind you see that as long as the tree is grounded with a strong set of roots and a strong trunk, it can handle the wind by swaying back and forth.  This parallels with life itself.... As long as we are grounded with a strong relationship with God, we can get through anything life blows our way.  We can sway back and forth in order to keep from breaking because we are grounded with God.   Now, many years later, I still think about these thoughts when I am looking at trees.  It's a good way to keep grounded in my relationship with God.

I am drawn to trees.  I love looking at the shapes of their branches, the colors of their leaves, and how they define their surroundings.  In "Through the Trees" I love the contrast between the branches of this pine tree and the sky.  The patterns of the branches are beautiful and to see the clouds in the sky against them makes it even more beautiful.  If I look closer at the photograph, I can hear the wind blow and see the branches move while the tree sways back and forth.  It is a strong tree with its roots grounded.