Where we live there aren't many large, old trees. As a matter of fact, we live near at least 3 different lumber mills. That's all fine and good, but it really makes finding a huge tree special. One of my friends showed us a mammoth. It towered over all the other trees in the forest, even though the top had fallen out of it years ago.
Unfortunately for this tree, some of our spring storms proved too powerful and a huge limb fell out of it. For scale, my husband is pictured sitting on the fallen limb. It was so big, you could not even wrap your arms around it...or your legs. The limb alone was larger than all the other trees in the area. You see the small hole in the tree at the bottom of the picture? In real life that hole is large enough for a full grown man to slide into. The tree is totally hollow, making it the perfect place for all sorts of critters to live.
It was so neat to find such a massive tree. It makes me wonder what it had seen go by through the years? Farms, I am sure, maybe even the first settlers in the area? It also makes me wonder what preserved this one tree when its peers were logged out? I suppose that is one of my favorite things about trees...they keep growing for years. Shouldn't we do the same? Not necessarily in height and girth, but should we not grow from the experiences of our life. Some will leave us with scars, like the hole in the tree; but the beautiful thing is we can use those scars for good. The tree was a home for wildlife because of its scars. What can you do to keep growing in spite of your scars?
Till Next Time,
Sarah
I love the analogy of trees as life...deep roots to the living water, useful in all seasons of life, sometimes pruning to be more fruitful, and willing to display the scars to be more authentic.
ReplyDeleteLoving your posts!
Kelley