But this most recent storm feels more than I can bear. My limbs are burdened by inches and inches of thick ice. Their weight so heavy; I hear and feel it. Tears fall and cries speak, "It is too much; too much to bear and too much to endure." The wind howls; the sun nowhere to be seen. The days are cold. Hope seems so far away and a thing of the distant past. I wonder if I will survive this time in tact. In the middle of the storm it's hard to remember or to hope this is only a season.
Though as I write these words I remember I am still standing, still firmly grounded and deeply rooted. This is my truth, my reality, but difficult to remember for also in my present reality my own branches creak and crack. Some break and fall to the ground.
My consolation today is our beautiful maple tree. It has lost many branches, yet continues to endure the many, many Oklahoma storms and remains grounded and rooted. Its colors beautiful again this year.
Blessed are those who delight in the law of the LORD
and meditate on His law day and night.
They are like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Psalm 1:2-3
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| Our Maple - 2011 |
