No Matter What

I am attached to the trees in our yard.  Most of them have been there since my great grandparents lived in this house.  There are two cedar trees in the side yard.  Our eldest three children would swing from its branches many times until my dad cut the limbs down.  Safety first.  Next to them stand an elm and a white oak in the front yard.  Our youngest three children now climb the white oak.  My father is not here to cut the branches.
A very old hackberry tree stands guard over our deck.  It has been there as long as my mother can remember.  I remember our oldest playing in the shade of this tree when she was less than two years old.   We have dipped way to many of the trees leaves out of the pool.  Yet it continues to give refreshing cover. 
Last year we were concerned that the tree would fall.  It had two  splits in critical support areas of the trunk.  Precious husband and helpful son drilled holes and put rods through to hopefully hold the tree together.  There is also a lovely orange tie down holding up two limbs. 
When spring came this year I was afraid we would have to cut this tree down.  The crack in the upper trunk was more visible and I thought perhaps the tree was dead.  But as spring has moved into summer the tree is full of green leaves.  Despite the injury to its trunk it continues to shelter our deck. The tree has stayed rooted and strong.  So we continue to skim the leaves from the pool.  I am glad it is still here.  It gives me hope. 
No matter how vulnerable, broken or scarred there is still the potential to offer life. 

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”  Colossians 2:6-7

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This week at the High Calling Blogs book club we read the chapters entitled, “Making It”, “Honesty”, and “Vulnerability”. 
The lessons I took away from Julia this week are:

“…we need to decide that we will, one, write no matter what and, two, share that writing no matter what.”

“We write because something “touches” us.  We write because we want to “touch” someone else.  We write to “get in touch” with the divine or because the divine has somehow “gotten in touch” with us.”

This place is where I write and share, allowing myself to be vulnerable.  I have been touched so often by God and I wonder if through writing it here someone else might also be touched.  The biggest benefit, perhaps, it would bring God glory.
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Related Posts:
HCB Honesty's Shy Younger Sister
Joel’s Confessions of an Ex-Secret Keeper
Marilyn’s Getting to the Story You Need to Write
Glynn’s Telling It True
Cassandra’s The Edge of Glory