A reason to love trees

As I look out my window this morning, there's a beautiful site. The leaves from a huge oak tree fall silently to the ground...These leaves, gorgeous in their reddish hues...tired and lifeless cover the grass, giving evidence that the fall season is upon us. The tree itself looks eerily different too. She's slimmed down quite a bit since it started to shed its leaves. There are no squirrels or chipmunks jumping about on her branches. She kind of looks as if she's taken a beating. But she's also still and firm. Where everything else around her is swaying too and fro, she's immovable. She's survived the loss of her leaves, and is now fighting for new life to be birthed from her branches. I've always felt like a tree. I've lost some, most, and even all of the leaves from my branches in past winters. But I've always recovered and new life has always sprang from my branches when the clouds lifted. There is one difference now than what was present before. That difference is now that I realize it happening, I can watch it materialize and be in awe of the power that makes it so.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's been a while since my last post, and a lot has gone on in the world!  This year, 2012, has seen its share of great things happen and bad things too.  This time of the year should be a time of reflection, but also a time to share great joy, as those of us that are still here have the chance to see what the next year will hold.  We can be sad when we reflect on those lives that were lost, but we can also be optimistic about what the future will bring.

I am thankful that I am one of the few who did make it through the year.  I am glad that the Mayans were wrong about the world ending on December 21, 2012.  I am looking forward to starting anew!  Being a better person...a better mother, a better servant for God, a better friend and lover than I was in the past.  I am happy that I get to celebrate, the Lord Jesus Christ's birthday, with good people, good food, and create new memories of love that will carry me for years to come through the rest of my life.

I feel blessed with what I have learned and am excited to face the new things that will come about to further strengthen my character and that will make me better as a whole.  My faith in the idea that what is good will always prevail is stronger today than it ever has been.  I believe that next year can definitely be better than 2012 was for all of us, if we but all work together and keep that faith in mind as we deal with other people in the world and ourselves.  I thank God for the life I've lived this year, and I thank him for you!  I wish you many blessings on the Lord's birthday, for the rest of this year, and throughout next year.