The shift to spring in our area is typically synonymous with the emergence of flowering tree buds, leaves, and blooms. This past week, we noticed magnolia, crab apple, Cleveland pear, dogwood, and Eastern redbud trees showing vibrant signs of life. We thought we’d share a few observations and facts about flowering trees in this week’s post.
“We can learn a lot from trees: they are always grounded, but never stop reaching heavenward.” -Everett Mamor
Theme of the Week: Do You See Me?
Our theme of the week started during a morning run when I noticed the tiny buds on several trees had opened more to form flowers. There were also new blooms along the roadside, tiny individually in the early morning light, but vivid in patches that were more densely populated. The sights set me to thinking about how individually, we may not feel we account for much, but collectively, we can and do accomplish many things during our lifetime.
Rustling sounds in the left over from fall leaves led me to discover squirrels running and gathering items from beneath the leaves. More sounds from the bushes revealed a variety of birds chirping and calling. A distinct call from above in the tree tops caught my attention, and looking up, I saw a hawk in flight that later landed momentarily on an uppermost branch of a towering tree. The sounds set me to thinking about how we sometimes need warnings in order to really see what is before us, either physically or emotionally, and personally and professionally.
Life is full of many things, and being able to see what is before us, behind us, or even within us is not always easy. We often need help with our interpretations of such things, and one of the best helpers I have found with seeing things from different vantage points has been that of nature. Being out in the wind, rain, and sun as many days and for as long as possible each year has given me many gifts, along with too many life lessons to count.
Some of the most pleasant nature teachers for me have been the flowering trees. They endure the early spring frost to flower and sometimes bear small fruits or provide shelter and food for the birds, bees, and other wildlife. How great a gift these trees are, pleasing to the eye with their beauty, pleasant with their sweet aromas when in full bloom, and refreshing to the weary heart and soul after a tough day. While trying to focus on these lessons and gifts can be difficult at times, it is great to know they are there to be found, even if only for a moment or two each day.
“Focus is how you knit the hours of the day together. With focus, the day becomes a beautiful tapestry. Without focus, you end up holding a bundle of loose string.” -James Clear
Lesson of the Week: Dogwood Tree
Our lesson of the week came via a short article about dogwood trees. This tree is a favorite, most likely because growing up, we had one in the front yard by the sidewalk. Since dogwoods (or at least a number of varieties of dogwood trees) tend to be shorter in height with lower branches, they make perfect climbing trees for little legs and arms of a girl who just wanted to explore. I recall this particular tree had a vee in it at just the right height to help get off the ground. A second vee up higher made the perfect spot to see things from a different view and escape into a world of hopes and dreams.
The article spoke of the dogwood as nature’s symbols for Easter and Jesus’ sacrifices. The dogwood blooms have four flowers that form a cross, and the flowers have indentations like the nails in Jesus’ hands. The centers of the flowers contain tiny balls that look like a crown, which Jesus wore as part of his sacrifice for our transgressions. Since dogwoods typically bloom in early spring after the gray skies of winter, they appear to be a light of life and renewal, similar to the resurrection of Jesus.
The article was indeed the perfect (and most timely) reminder to me of what matters most in life and how faith can make the trails of the present moments less daunting.
“Faith in the future begets power in the present.” -Max Lucado
Thought This Week: Efforts to Just Be
Some words we came across this week that offer up some things to think about as we continue to see the flowering trees emerge:
“I’ve made it a principle not to be over-influenced by minor disappointments.” -Marianne Moore
“Every man (or woman) is entitled to be valued buy his (or her) best moments. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Nothing is ordinary if you know how to use it.” -William Wolcott
May we come to see the gifts of flowering trees, not only in nature, but in each other. May the blooms we find enrich and enlighten our lives, and may we come to know the beauty to be found all around us.
All Around Us
In the early morn, at the break of day,
Above the fields where the corn and the hay
Grow the many tendrils that combine
To help fill the soul in life,
There resides a calming peace
That somehow finds its way to thee
Through the moments that unfold
Ever sober, yet never old
For God’s love abounds and cuts
All around us.
In the midst of the trees,
In the hips of the rose’s and the trees,
In the little butter cups
On the hills rising up,
In the dogwood and the magnolia
Whose flowers push and fold up,
In the eastern red bud and the holly branch
Whose leaves grow and expand
To reveal tiny fruits
With zeal and without rebuke
God’s grace abounds as it runs
All around us.
In the myrtle and the daffodil
That grow on the fertile hills,
In the call of the hawk
That rises and falls with each seasons’ walk,
In the bush and the vine
That offer good to life,
In the pond so tranquil and calm
Where the fronds of the ferns do not catch the frost
God’s gifts abound without fanfare or fuss
All around us.
-Lisa A. Wisniewski
A Note of Thanks
Our thanks this week goes out to the writers of our reading reflections for sharing their life experiences and reminding us we are not alone on the journey through life.
-Lisa, Leo, and Lena
Natural Deltas 