November 7, 2022
As long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and hot, summer and autumn, day and night will not cease.” ~ Genesis 8:22
I fell in love with a maple tree at first sight on Saturday. She was outside of a parish hall in Berryville, VA, where she had stood tall and strong for longer than I’ve been alive. What struck me first was the multiplicity of colors of her leaves. She was adorned with green, yellow, orange, rust and red leaves that made up the glorious whole.
When the wind blew, I could hear the leaves rustling. When I walked under her expanse, I heard the staccato of fallen leaves crunching beneath my feet.
I took the time to walk about her and eye her up from different points of view, and had the luxury to stop by multiple times throughout the day to admire her grandeur. By the time of my last visit, her top branches were bare, a glimpse of winter to come.
Judging from the size of her trunk, she’s been around longer that I have, and witnessed the coming and going of elected officials, of wars, of humans walking on the moon, and most recently humans walking around with face masks. Steady, deeply grounded, she’s seen seed time and harvest, cold and hot, summer and autumn. She was a reminder of the long view of time, over which our merciful and just God reigns.
God who is Love, beyond time and also intimately within time, is my hope. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 