WINTER TREES

Almost all of the leaves have fallen off the trees.  The colorful hue that radiated so much beauty these past few weeks is gone, replaced by the plainness and starkness of the bare limbs on protruding out of the trunks of trees.  They have completed their invisible job of growing and supporting these leaves ever since spring and now its time for them to stretch out naked into the sky, relax and enter into their long awaited season of rest.

I love winter trees.  They speak to me of strength, sturdiness, and sustainability.  Leaves come and go with the passing of the seasons, but the sturdy trunk and extending limbs remain true throughout the generations of time.  Their unseen roots grow deep into the ground, continuously providing the necessary nourishment for strong, sturdy growth.  The limbs extend upwards, reaching into the sky as if to touch the heavens and embrace the wind.  The beautiful autumn leaves fed my soul and now the stark empty trees lift my spirit to the heavens.

It’s like a picture story of Ecclesiastes; with all the busyness of growth, the blossoms of spring, the green leaves of summer, the gold and red leaves of fall, in the end what remains true is the stark, sturdy tree.

“Vanity of vanities,

All is vanity…

The end of the matter;

All has been heard,

Fear God and keep his commandments,

For this is the whole duty of mankind.”

Ecclesiastes 12: 1:2, 12:13