Friday, November 2, 2012

Roots

Unscripted.  Unedited.  Real.
Writing for five minutes.
A sort of writing flash mob.

Five Minute Friday




I remember when I first saw this tree. It's massive trunk in stark contrast to its feathery leaves. How I was humbled just standing next to it, painfully and gracefully aware of my smallness. And how amazingly beautiful it was. 

It was October and its usual verdant leaves were caught in transition between emerald and amber. To stand at its trunk and gaze up into its flowing, wide-spread branches was to be at once, humbled and sheltered.


But what grabbed me the most about this magnificent tree was its roots. They were dark and gnarled and expansive and they wove themselves in and out of each other, in route to the water just near.


And the whole monstrous behemoth of a tree leaned.........
It gracefully and beautifully leaned into its life source.
It was as if it inherently knew it could sway and bend, reach and extend, grow and rest
because of its roots, flug deep and far and wide.

I want to be that tree, planted by the stream, who bears fruit at the right time and whose leaves do not dry up.

And so, if I am ever cut down, I will be like the stump of Jesse and branches will sprout from my mouth and I will live.

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful!! I want to be like that tree too!
    I wrote about something kind of similar for Five Minute Friday ! Great minds think alike they say :)

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  2. Beautiful tree, beautiful words. And I'm nodding an amen over here, saying yes, me too.

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  3. amen! lovely words and pictures! visiting from five minute friday. http://www.ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com

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  4. There you go Holly sprouting off again. lol But you sprout so beautifully. Bravo.

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  5. Oh my how I thought I had commented waaaayyyy before now. Maybe the comments ate my homework. This is beyond lovely in every way, full of life, teeming with soul, flowing with nourishing words of the living. I am truly in awe of your eye, your voice, your heart and the overflow of your spirit, Holly. Remarkable how you see this world.

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  6. love, love it. thank you.

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  7. Thank you, Stephanie. So glad you stopped by!

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  8. Thank you, Shelly. Grateful that your heart hears mine.

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  9. Traci, thank you so very much for stopping by from FMF. What an amazing community that is.

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  10. Lori, you are too kind!

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  11. Heart sisters, we are, I'm convinced, Elizabeth. I am so thankful for you, here, in this space with me.

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  12. As always, Diana, thank you!

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  13. Wow, Holly. Just wow. This may be my favorite of all the soul words I've read here. It speaks deep to my heart, and all the leaning in He's leading me in these days. Thank you.

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  14. Annie,

    It was amazing to me to see how incredible the dance between that leaning (which was unmistakable) and the roots made for a solid structure. The leaning called upon the roots in this symbiotic way that spoke volumes to me. I'm glad it spoke to you, as well.

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