Trees~

I have always loved trees.  I'm not really sure why.  They just seem so solid, I guess.  The scene with Frodo in the forest, in Lord of the Rings has always been one of my favorites.  The trees in the scene were the ancients, and had seen much.  I suppose that is true of many trees.  Perhaps that is part of the appeal to me, also.  The fact that they have seen the world turn for many years, and seen many different things.  I took the picture at the end of this post while lying on the ground underneath a giant oak.  The branches on this tree were so much like protecting arms, I just had to snap this photo.  Some of my favorite dates with my husband were spent under trees.  Picnics, deer hunts, and just lazy afternoons on quilts.  It's actually kind of ironic that my husband was a logger!  A person who "slays" trees. He loves old hardwood too, though, so I can't really hold it against him!  Probably one of my favorite poems too, has a tree.  It's a very commonly known poem.  Longfellow's "Village Smithy".  I used to wish when I was little, that I could see that "spreading chestnut tree".  It just seemed like such a safe place to be.  I know that some societies used to believe in "sacred" trees.  I can see how you could become confused about that.  But really , we have to remember to worship the "Creator" of the tree, and not the tree itself.  Every time I lay beneath an old oak, or pine, I thank God for using His creation as an example of the protection He provides.  I can imagine God using His arms like those old branches , to cover me.  And I feel safe. ~ Ruby Jeanette