When I wake up in my “inside bed” and look out the window, I see the sun hitting the ridge line on the other side of the near field. Through the bare bones of the deciduous trees stands a lone pine tree…tall and statuesque. I smile when I see her in her evergreen glory watching over the valley floor below. We have some mighty winds that come through here from time to time and I always worry that one day I’ll look up and she’ll be gone.
This lone pine has stood there for decades since she broke through the emergent layer of the forest…thin shoots of oak from acorns and pine from pinecones and all the underbrush that grows beneath the towering trees. It’s not easy for them to make it to their grand heights. There’s steep competition for sunlight and nutrients not to mention the threats of disease and injury.
Since I’ve been back in West Virginia, I’ve been intrigued by the myriad varieties of trees growing in the hills of Appalachia, so I’ve been studying them. Every once in a while, I’ll see a walnut or hickory tree growing when they aren’t really close to others of that ilk. Interestingly, squirrels are natures most prolific tree planter. They bury seeds and nuts here and there to sustain them over the long winter months when food is scarce. Fortunately for us, they sometimes forget where they buried them all so they sprout and can grow into trees. They’re the little furry Johnny Appleseeds of the forest.
There’s a hickory tree along the driveway out at the farm. I usually gather up the nuts when they’re still encased in their hulls. Sometimes I dry and hull them, but there’s never enough to do anything with. Usually I set them out on the front porch and eventually the squirrels or chipmunks find them, leaving the dried hulls behind as evidence.
It made me think about the good things we leave out in the world unseen. The things that may feed us when times are lean, or that feed others when they’re in trouble. Things like kindness, charity, goodwill, honor, diplomacy, friendship…love. Things that we give to the world and to others knowing full well they cannot give in return. These are the things that show the true character of us as a people. Standing up for the downtrodden is the most honorable thing we can do. Our forefathers died to lift up the least of these in the image of Christ.
Whether planting a tree or planting the seeds of love, it’s a noble thing indeed. Let us always strive to be the beacons of light for those less fortunate.
☘️
“Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” Proverbs 17:14 NIV
***Gratitude Journal***
Today I am grateful that I have Jesus as a Savior and a role model.