Have you ever heard the expressions?
Just bare it all,
Let it go,
Let loose,
Surrender,
Let it be.
I’m sure there are countless other phrases/expressions, but you get the point.
One of beauties of fall in the Midwest are the changing colors of the trees; this until all the leaves fall off and you are left with bare trunks and naked branches.
I often wonder how trees feel being so exposed to the natural elements of wind, rain, and snow.
Do they shiver?
Do they shake?
Do they grip the cold soil digging deeper into the earth?
For after a long winter and things slowly begin to thaw, we know and the trees know that new buds of life will come in and soon those bare and naked trees will once more be clothed.
I try to imagine if a tree had thoughts, what would they ponder on during those exposed months of winter? This of course, got me thinking about the upcoming holiday season.
I’ll admit it, I don’t like or appreciate this season as I once did when I was a child. It’s a rush of craziness from Thanksgiving to Christmas. All the planning, preparation and shopping wears on me—my emotions and tiredness are exposed and I feel bare, I feel raw, and I feel old.
And then I look at the trees who will patiently endure what might be a turbulent season of cold and snow. The key word here is patiently.
Regardless of the temperatures swirling around them, they will stand firm and rooted in the importance of taking care of themselves so that when spring comes, they can yield strong foliage.
I guess this is a lesson for me to not get myself winded by every leaf of imperfection during this splendid celebratory season, but rather keep my mind and heart rooted in my faith—and the real reason for the season, for this is a time to bare it all in order to reflect in.