Trees

I have had a secret crush on trees my whole life.  I love how beautiful they are - regardless of the season, there is always something beautiful about trees.  I love the fresh smell of pine as I drive along the roads in Oregon and the dense forest with moss hanging from the branches.  I love the shade they provide.  I love the tree outside my bedroom window which provides shade to the north east corner of my home.  I have watched this tree grow over the years.  My tree and I began our growth at this address about the same time.  My tree was young and newly planted and I was starting out in my new home - new adventures for both of us ~ ~  and look how we have grown!

Janet's Tree - front yard

I love springtime when trees take on their brand new growth and beginning.  I love that they resemble "popcorn popping", and I sing the song every year when my tree blossoms with full blooms.

I looked out the window and what did I see

popcorn popping on the apricot tree .  .  .

I love the change of season and with this change comes my favorite time of year.  Fall!  I take myself  for a drive into the mountains to see the changes and smell the change in the air.  I love to walk along a path and feel the crunch under foot.  The colors are beautiful to my eyes!

I love the first dusting of snow and the excitement of winter fast approaching.  I feel like I am in a winter wonderland when the air is so cold and the ice hangs onto each branch as a fragile piece of glass.

Trees are so beautiful as they sway in the wind - I could swear they filter secrets and whispers through the branches and leaves, the sounds muted just enough so the whispers thrown to the wind are still safe.

Am I like a tree?  Do I change with the seasons of my life?  Is my foundation (trunk) strong and does my core center stand firm?  Do my branches get heavy as I take on worries and burdens but hold fast as I sway with resolve?  Am I a chameleon and change with the seasons of bright and colorful to bland and barren as my moods change?  Does my shade give comfort and relief along life's path, not only for me but others? 

This I know for sure!  My roots are solid, my roots are firmly planted.  If I am to be compared to a tree I know for sure that my family tree is noble and wonderful and I thank my mother and father and so many grandfathers and grandmothers for their courage so many years ago for being a part in molding me into who I am and will yet become.  Our family tree may shake at times, but I know we are firmly planted!