RESPONDING TO LIFE’S PROMPTS

LIFE’S CONSTANT PROMPTS…

HOW DO YOU RESPOND?

I had intended to write a different article for April, but as I sat enjoying my early morning caffé latté, the gum trees in my vista changed my mind. As I watched them swaying in the wind, I was mesmerised by their majestic beauty and strength. Yes, I’m a tree lover! A nature lover actually, with an affinity for trees. Some of these Gums are so grand, they stand over 40 feet tall!

I noticed that as the wind picked up its intensity some branches were bent close to breaking. But they did not break and they made every effort to return as close to their original stance, as the wind allowed. At other times, when the wind had been extraordinarily violent, I had seen a branch or two break off and fall to the ground below. Yet again, as the wind subsided, I noticed that the trees once more returned to and maintained their upward stance, standing tall even with one or two of their limbs, of their branches, torn away. This rhythmic swaying and returning reminded me of my life, of your life too, because as humans we live similar experiences, even if they differ in appearance.

I’m talking about those times when Life comes at us so hard that no matter how much we sway, no matter how far we bend, we cannot avoid breaking. For some of us it’s a life-threatening illness, for others it’s an economic threat to our living conditions, for others still it’s an invisible, yet debilitating mental illness. I say invisible because while we can see a break of flesh or bone, we cannot see a mental or emotional break. Mental illnesses cannot be seen, it’s their affects which are made visible to us.

What I love about numbers and about nature is that they both provide a way through the traumatic and debilitating episodes in our lives. The majestically tall gums which I’ve observed time and time again, return to their upright stance even with the loss of limbs. Even if now looking somewhat lopsided and unbalanced, gutted in places. This is their in-built response to the losses and hardships which they endure. These trees, however mighty and strong, cannot control the wind gusts. Just as we, no matter how strong in flesh or thought, no matter how deep our divine nature, cannot control the storms in our lives, nor the loss of limbs, whether in flesh or invisibility. Unlike nature though, we are endowed with a free will and so our responses are not in-built, they must be chosen.

Let’s take a Ieaf out of Nature’s book and be encouraged to respond in ways that maintain and reflect ALL we were born to be – Divinity expressing Itself on the Earth plane through our human bodies. Yes, we are ALL that!