The Tree of Life

I was walking in the woods one day and I came upon this rock to sit and rest awhile. While resting I was looking out at the beautiful foliage in all their fall colors.

As I was looking outward I gazed upon this one particular tree and it was as though it was talking to me. The tree was saying “count my leaves and then count yours”. Well it took forever to count all those leaves on that tree, but it didn’t take me long to count the leaves on me; I didn’t have any. What do you suppose this means? Was the tree trying to tell me something important? The answer is yes, the tree is telling you that we all have leaves; we just can’t see them on ourselves. So to coin a phrase “turn over a new leaf” means to become strong like a tree, start over and never give up. Don’t worry if you have to start over and over because one day others will look at you and admire your leaves and your tree will tell them “count my leaves, and then count yours”.

And so in my wonderment what came to me is that it was the Tree Of Life speaking to me.

Fore I say unto you my children, it’s OK to have leaves and turn them over and over because that’s what allows people to admire us just like a beautiful tree.

Fertilizer-the Recipe to Life's Challenges

Isn’t it amazing how sometimes memories from your childhood tend to teach a lesson to us as grown-ups?

I have a liking for Dahlias, Gladiolas and Roses. It’s the Dahlia from my childhood that gives me the inspiration to hold on to a dream and maybe become a stronger person.

This story evolves around my Grandfather and how he had a green thumb for growing things. If it were a vegetable, fruit or plant, he could grow it. It makes me wonder sometimes how some people can grow wonderful things, while others have good intentions but fail.

I can remember one day when my grandfather asked me if I wanted my own little Dahlia plant just to see how well I would do with it. It became a special project and I wanted to show him that I was just as good as he was at growing big Dahlias. He had a recipe for fertilizer from chicken, rabbit and cow droppings. He would lovingly give all of his plants this special concoction. But I certainly didn’t want to be around that stuff, the smell would drive you away. As far as I was concerned just watering my Dahlia was enough.

Each day when I got home from school I would check my plant in between doing my chores. After about four weeks I noticed that my plant looked like it had stopped growing. On the other hand my Grandfather’s plants were twice as tall and twice as full. His ended up having extremely large full blooms. I asked him, “What did I do wrong?”

His answer was, “You didn’t want to handle the fertilizer.”

There’s an insight here that as an adult I understand more. Let’s continue while I use some of the content of the story symbolically.

Let’s imagine your desires and ideas are like Dahlias. And the water would symbolize the belief in the idea. Then of course, it would make sense that the fertilizer represents the challenges and obstacles that will come along when trying to cultivate your new idea. But the fertilizer is also the most important part because when you use it, it will help you stand tall, be stronger, and give you the character and fortitude to move forward.

You see, I believed my little flower would grow but it wasn’t enough because I wasn’t about to handle the stinky stuff in life that comes along to allow it to become bigger and better.

So, what I think my Grandfather was trying to tell me is if all of the ingredients are used in obtaining your desires, the end result will come into fruition like a Dahlia in full bloom.

Friend or Foe?

Do you have a special friend that you use to protect you and push your way through life? Many people know of this special friend and use it quite often. However, is the friend reliable, courteous, kind and loving?

Let's take a closer look at this so-called special friend of yours. Does he or she really help you succeed, make friends, etc.? Does this special friend look out for your best interest?

This answer of course is an enequivocal NO, for you see this so-called special friend is a friend to many, many people. What's funny is that this special friend has the same name to everybody and this friend stands in the way of your own betterment. Have you figured out what your best friends name is? Well please take note, that friends name is EGO.

Wouldn't you really rather rely on a friend that would take better care of your needs, wants, or desires and provide you with sincere friends? That better friends name is called God, Spirit, or Source. Rely on this friend and I guarantee that you will note the changes for the better, shortly.

The Struggle

What do butterflies have in common with the human spirit? Meet Maggie, a middle aged wife and mother who was about to find out.

Maggie wasn’t rich like a millionaire or poor in a manner of being homeless. She was living an average comfortable life. It was made even better when a beautiful baby girl came her way. She and her husband made sure their daughter had her needs met and they were still able to take a yearly vacation by the beach.

Maggie was a partner in her husband’s business. They both had a different set of duties which kept everything in balance. One day a devastating blow came to her husband’s business, and over a three year period the business dropped out of site. Her husband had to totally reinvent himself and was yearning to fulfill a dream with a new vocation. She was happy for him and supported him fully, but still the money was not coming in.

Maggie began to feel guilty that she wasn’t contributing with any kind of income. It had been a long time since she had worked outside the home and had to work for someone else. Needless to say she was scared but still had faith that everything would be okay. She began job hunting and found filling out applications somewhat difficult, especially the part asking for job references. Keep in mind that she was self-employed with her husband for almost 20 years. It felt as though that didn’t count for anything as she was never called for an interview.

At the time she was job hunting her mom became more ill than she had been and ended up in the hospital for a week. Once Maggie’s mom returned home she became her mom’s helper one day a week. She did the shopping, changed sheets, vacuumed and did other things that her mother was not able to do anymore. Of course her mom would pay her for her time and labor but she still felt she needed to find another source of income.

One of the first applications she had filled out finally came through. She passed the interview with flying colors and was told she was “exactly” what they were looking for. Although it was only part time it was exactly what she wanted. It was important for her to be home when her daughter arrived home from school. She was told they would be in touch when the schedule was ready. Knowing she had the job made her feel contented and productive again.

Within a few weeks though, she received an e-mail saying that the company had changed the job into a full time position and she was not qualified. Maggie was devastated. She felt betrayed and felt she had been lied to. That evening she was alone as her husband and daughter had gone out for the night. She welcomed the aloneness and wanted to drown her sorrows in a hot tub of bubbles.

As she knew she would, she began to cry, softly at first just from the sheer pain of being rejected. Three long years of struggle had finally caught up with her. Then she became angry; angry at everything from the circumstances that got her there, to God himself. She cried harder and yelled, “What do you want me to do?” She really felt that God had abandoned her.

When she was able to cry no more, she became exhausted and gave up. It was at that moment that a silent idea came to her to offer other elderly people home care assistance.

Using another talent for computers she printed off some flyers and cards and distributed them to her church, grocery stores and even placed a small ad in the newspaper. Within a week she had procured two new clients.

Now, even though she’s not a CEO of a major company or a power player she feels happy and productive again. So, had God really abandoned her? Let’s look at nature for the lessons and the answer.

Before a butterfly can emerge out of it’s chrysalis it has to go through a lot of struggling. Yes, struggling. Each time it lunges out to escape, acids are being removed from its wings. If someone were to come along and break the chrysalis open for it then the butterfly would die from those acids. In essence the struggle is necessary for the butterfly to survive. Then in the stillness, when the struggle is over, the butterfly can come out and share its beauty with the world.

We as humans are not any different. There are times that we need to struggle, to rid ourselves of the acids that make up sadness, fear, and anger. It is only at this time when we are exhausted and still that we begin to hear the Universe whisper to us.