Message of the Tipping Tree



Two tall and thin trees grace the view outside my living room window. One grows straight up, and the other tips to the right. It curves at the top and looks like the tree version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I’ve lived here for eighteen years, and it’s never fallen. If I tipped to the right for many years, I may have tired out and tipped all the way over, but the tree still stands strong. Why is that? 

I realize that I’m only seeing part of the story. The tree has many deep roots in the ground below, which anchor it strong and steady in the earth. Perhaps the tree tips because it’s weathered many wind and rain storms. Overtime, those forces could’ve tipped it to the right. The wind often comes here from the ocean toward the tree, so it could’ve pushed it over some. The tree next to it may be straight because the tipping tree protects it from the offshore breeze.

Why does the tipping tree speak to me so much? It’s because I am like the tipping tree. The tipping tree is not perfect and yet it still stands tall at about the height of a four-story building. Like the tipping tree, I am not perfect. I have defects which create tips and turns internally and play out in my life. The tree tells me that even though I have defects, I am worth my space and can stand tall and own my presence in the world.

Just as the tree is firmly planted in the earth, I am rooted in God and his nourishment. God feeds me spiritually by his word and through my times with him in prayer and meditation. The tree stands strong after many years of storms, and I, too, have emerged victorious after experiencing many life storms. 

The tree grows up to the beautiful sky toward God’s holy city above. I also strive to grow upward spiritually to be closer to my creator and to live more as God would have me do. I seek to be all that God created me to be and to live the potential for which I was created. God made me a writer with an observant mind.  Thus, recently, as I looked at the tipping tree, it spoke to me. I’ve looked out that window for many years, but perhaps I was just supposed to get the tree’s message now.

Lately, I’ve had several health challenges, and I’ve wondered if I’ll ever have a full life again. The tree assured me that I would. Even though it tips, it still enjoys all the pleasures of being a tree. It sits in the sun, feels the refreshment from the wind, gets a shower from the rain, and sleeps under a moon-lit sky. Even though I’m still healing from several issues, I, too, can enjoy the varied weather where I live and stand in awe of the seasons’ beauty. During spring, I watch the tree stand with branches filled with robust green leaves, and then I see its beauty when it stands barren in the winter.

Plus, the tree next to it is its built-in friend. God also gave me friends who make my life more enjoyable, since I share nourishing activities and conversations with them. I feel boosted up no matter what I’m going through, since I know that I don’t have to go through life alone. I have kind, supportive friends to accompany me through life’s journey. I encourage them, and they support me. 

I now consider the tree to be a new friend, which gave me a special gift. It’s not just “another tree;” it’s a beacon of hope. Even in its imperfection, it contributed to the betterment of my life. Even though I am imperfect, I can also offer gifts to the world, through my writing, speaking, and kind acts. I just need to stay firmly planted in God, enjoy my life, and stay tuned to the many ways God speaks to me, sometimes through the words of another and, now, with this wise, majestic tree.

Jennifer K. Jordan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Golden Egg

Image
  When I as a child, one of my family’s Easter traditions was for my brother and I to look for the “Golden Egg.” We first looked for eggs to fill our Easter baskets, and then the hunt was on for the biggest treasure – the Golden Egg. What would be inside? Chocolates? See’s Candy? A chocolate bunny? It was always a mystery what the Easter bunny, also known as, mom and dad, hid. One morning, when I found it, the egg was hidden in the washer’s cooling vent that opened outside and had a tiny covering where the treasure lay. My gift? Five dollars! In the early 1970s, $5 was a good amount of money for a child. It’s equivalent to about $37 in 2023. It felt like a fortune to me. I don’t remember what I did with the money, but I remember the fun of looking for it and my surprise and delight when I found it. I still remember what I was wearing - white jeans with a short-sleeved pastel pink shirt with flowers on the front. After the treasure hunt, my family went to Disneyland in our new, ye...
Read more

The Unique in Me/The Unique in You

Image
I was always different. Instead of what most people liked, I liked something else. Instead of chocolate sundaes, I liked butterscotch. Instead of maple syrup, I liked blueberry, and instead of Coke or Pepsi, I liked root beer. As I got older, I liked art and none of the rest of my family did. I wanted to travel and see the world, and my mom was happy staying home. As an adult, I like writing and am a great observer. When I travel, I write in the Notes or Google Docs App in my phone every day. I use voice recognition and speak as I traverse various places. I want to capture my thoughts and feelings at the moment that I have them. When I get home, I write a trip diary. Some, I just keep as a souvenir for me, and others, I expand into a book. It’s my way of sharing what I learned to educate others about the people and culture I visited and to inspire others to do their dreams. Traveling is one of my dreams, and I hope that in seeing me do my dreams, it encourages others to do theirs. On...
Read more