“Did I get your attention?”
This thought resonates in my head as I look out of my office window at a totally barren tree. I have never seen this tree without leaves. It’s like the message is, “Is this what you want the world to be like?”
Last week, Texas experienced some of the most severe weather we had had in 100 years. It was so cold that Texas was registering temperature in the teens, which is NOT the norm for Texas.
I was not prepared for the disaster that followed: 8 to 10 inches of snow crippled our roads, froze our pipes along with failed utilities that turned off heating and resulted in major home and building damage. Families were left with no safe water to drink.
The state which had thought itself totally fuel-efficient was bogged down into a total mess. People and animals suffered.
As I look at the base of the barren tree, there are the leaves turning brown, offering no sign of life.
This tree had been refuge to so many birds before the storms. Occasionally, I see a bird hop on the ledge beside the tree looking for leftover bird seed which I put out for the hungry.
And, yet, I feel sure there is a plan for the barren tree and birds sitting on its barren branches. The plan is there but not revealed yet.
I must be patient. Wait to see the plan. Not easy to do! I am a person of action. But, moving too fast can cause me to make the wrong choices. Trimming the tree could put the tree into further shock. Cutting the tree down might not even be necessary if given the time to naturally heal.
Keep the faith and wait for the plan to work.
This is a metaphor for our lives. I like to think of this as a transition in one’s life as we go through pain and loss. I have felt this type of loss like many of you.
I now notice the beautiful Cardinal sitting high in the tree and notice that he looks as if he thinks he is surrounded by the foliage. Not a threat in the world. There are several Wrens that come to join the Cardinal. But there are no singing birds today.
I see this as hope. I hear, “Sit with me. With patience we will see green again.”
Anxiously, I want the change to happen. It is not enough to see the birds hopping from branch to branch. I want to see a bud of a new green leaf.
Looking at the shape of the barren tree, I would find hope in the return to the green of the leaves.
I am promised the hope of a beautiful and full life after a period of pain and loss, if I will just be patient. This patience allows me to notice what is and watch for the new to begin.
And so I wait ………………..
“You have my attention now.”