A seed falls into the ground.
Dirt. SO much dirt is placed on top of the seed. It is crushing.
The seed feels like it’s dying. Time passes. SO much time.
Then comes the water. SO much water…falling from the sky; just lightly tapping the ground at first, but soon it is so loud the seed feels afraid. Thunder shakes the seed to its core. What is happening out there? It’s all darkness in here and everything seems SO loud and scary and…far away.
The seed opens up. The casing is stripped away. A seedling is born! Pushing past the mounds of dirt, the seedling (now a new plant) emerges. What was necessary to protect and preserve life can no longer be where the seed remains. The seedling must come out of the earth and into the open…into the light of the Sun.
The young new plant feels the scorching heat of the sun, the heavy rains mid-spring, the forceful and back-breaking winds of the fall, the shiver-to-your-bones-cold of winter. Now and then the young plant wishes for just a little more dirt…to cover up some, to feel warm and clothed and “safe” again, but then the plant remembers the darkness…the plant has pushed past what it once thought was too big, too scary, too much weight. The plant has gained strength through struggle and now anchored itself in what used to contain it!
The plant continues to grow…taller, stronger, deeper and as the days pass, the plant evolves into a tree. Seasons change, the tree remains.
The tree reminds itself that out here -in the open, under the vast sky that yields sun, rain, wind and snow, it will continue to grow and stand tall. What the tree alone knows is how deep its roots go…all the way down where the darkness had it believing light would never come again, on the side of that cool river that brings life and into some rich, deep, love-filled soil. Many leaves may have fallen or been plucked off this tree, a few pieces of ribbon still hanging from the places people tied them on it, its side may be carved into or cut, but it is rooted so deep that it provides shade (rest), a home (safe place) for many little creatures and humans and some days, firewood (warmth) for weary travelers.
I AM that seed that became a seedling then a plant and now the full, robust, shade-giving, confidently swaying tree. I’ll always have some knots that need work, scars that make for good stories and some who don’t like the kind of tree I am, but I’m finally good with it. I’m at peace with the me I was created to be because what flows far beneath the surface are my roots…roots that run so deep and wide. My true identity is that I am rooted, grounded and forever secure in The Divine…my identity isn’t tied to anything external -it’s in the roots! Wherever you are on the journey – cursing at the heat of the sun, swaying in the wind, dancing in the rain or keeping your head down (and your heart hidden away) because the winter has taken too many leaves and branches or too much has been carved or cut – it is alright. I have embraced this truth from childhood, I will be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought or stop yielding fruit. Book of Jeremiah, chapter 17, verse 8 (The Bible). I’ve also heard this saying, but don’t know the source (thank you, unknown) “Be like a tree – stay grounded, connect with your roots, bend before you break and keep growing.”
Take comfort, dear heart, the process is a process for us all. The length or type of process may vary, but we all face it. Through every storm, season and stage, we gain strength and our roots grow deeper and wider. And come what may, we’ll keep staying rooted and secure in love.
Common Day Hero: This week marked my father’s fifth birthday in heaven. While he was on earth, I was quick to point out his negatives. The year he relocated, I began wishing I’d praised him more. I wrote out a list of all the good and cried so much that I couldn’t see his face and share it in person. I dedicate this post to the man who loved so deeply, but wasn’t the best at expressing it and because of that, was misunderstood quite a bit…the man whose good qualities continue to live on through me (and many others). I love and miss you SO much, Dad.
