Natures Wisdom - The Damaged Tree

On a hill overlooking the lake at our cabin, we have a bench where we often sit and take in the beauty of the property. In front of the bench sits a tall old poplar.

A few years back, we came to find that a beaver had taken a huge chunk of the tree, attempting to weaken it, so it would fall and they could use it for their purposes. Yet for some reason, after it destroyed over half of the circumference of the trunk, the beaver gave up.

We were concerned that the tree would fall unexpectedly, or that it would wither and die. My son told me one day that it was dead. I knew different.

Year after year we return to find her standing strong and healing. Not as filled out with leaves as she once was, yet still growing.

I often talk to her, yes, I know… crazy tree hugger.

How do I know she is female you ask? I don’t KNOW, I guess I just feel it. Her energy feels motherly. So, I sit near her and ask questions and I sense the answers.

She is a poplar. Her life is to grow. That is her mission, well that as well as to teach her young.

She provides protection to birds and small animals in the forest.

She provides beauty. She is tall, limbs stretched out, with new growth. Not as much as when she was young, but still she grows.

She experiences the breeze blowing her leaves and her branches. She sways, I imagine with her eyes closed, just feeling Gods presence. It rained last night, her bark is still damp to the touch. She doesn’t dry as quickly as she did as a sapling... 

She lives. She accepts that she is aging and she is okay with that. That is her destiny.

She has a spirit connected with God, her saplings, her community and the entire forest. She is connected to me. We stand, with my eyes closed and my hand on her wounded bark. I feel her presence.

She reminds me to slow down, allow aging to happen. Protect and teach the world and never stop growing.

When its our time, don’t fight it… succumb. Return to our creator. Until then, live life to the fullest.  Don’t dwell in fear, in anger or in resentment, but live out life fully. Love, have faith, and be present.

What I learned from a Damaged Tree

• ·         Be present~ Feel Gods presence
• ·         Know your worth
• ·         Bring value to others
• ·         Always continue to grow. If you are not growing, you are dying
• ·         Be a part of a community, teach and serve, give back to others
• ·         Stand strong, when someone or something attempts to take you down, hold your ground, have faith, your wounds will heal
• ·         Aging is inevitable, accept it, embrace it as a part of our journey

Life is not about a future destination, about running aimlessly. It’s about presence of spirit, of self.

Life is BE-ING. We are human beings, not human doings. So… BE!

This tree has been through so much. Even though 50% of a portion of the trunk was destroyed, the tree stood strong and the beaver gave up. If you look closely, you can see there have been animals and bugs who realized that she has a weak spot and have attempted to weaken it more, yet… she fought.

 She healed, she grew thicker skin over the open wound and still stands strong years later.

There are so many things we can learn from this damaged tree. We can learn from all areas of nature. We can learn by taking quiet time with ourselves and with God. When we slow down from the busy, hectic, chaotic world we live in and take time to quiet our mind and be open to Gods voice, we will hear it. For me, on this day, I heard it, by sitting quietly with a damaged tree.

                                           Much love, Geli Ulku September 2019