Reflections from the Trees

                         Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and

                      sorrow come and go like the wind.  To be

happy, rest like a great tree in the midst of them all.

Buddha's Little

Instruction Book

Trees are to be admired for their endurance to stand against all weather and their ability to intricately grow limbs seeking the sun.  Their strong branches stretch upwards holding nothing,  allowing all things to pass through. 

Trees are present through all of nature's cycles.  They experience tiny new buds growing and then unfolding.  Mature leaves add to the trees gracefulness, adding sound from the breeze.  Leaves turn into majestic colors and then gently fall to the ground, as the tree releases them, still standing tall.

There is much we can learn from the presence of a tree.  We can sprout new growth and enjoy the unfolding, but we must be prepared to release, especially when the timing is not ours.  When storms pass through our lives, we need to bend like the limbs of the trees, to endure until we can stand straight again.  When debris blows our way, we need not hold it to us, but like the tree, let it pass on.  When we fall into the shadows, we can alter our gestures in order to grow once again towards the light.

Trees are a constant presence in our lives.  There all shapes and sizes with each variation offering us symbols of peace, quiet, stillness, and the serenity of nature.  There is much to be learned by observing and experiencing the reflections from the trees.