I drive by this old barn every day and it provokes all sorts of questions and reflections. One of the things I consider is how it is empty and deserted now, but how once it was filled and useful. I can imagine how important it was to the people who used it, and how they valued it. No doubt it was beautiful in their eyes. Yet, I see beauty in it now. There is beauty in its memories, and beauty in its calm and peaceful rest.
As I see the people around me age (and as I see myself age), it reminds me to remember the past, and to enjoy those memories, yet to appreciate and see the beauty of the present.
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This is certainly not a case of "a rose by any other name" but these diminuative seed cones of a tamarack tree do have the beauty of a rose. Their shape calls forth thoughts of roses: soft petals, rich scents, and delightful colors. Their real nature calls forth even more powerful thoughts. In the midst of cold and colorless winter days they speak of the promise of life! These little seeds will fall to the soil, burst open, and start new life.
Are you like the seed cone of a tamarack? Perhaps you are not quite as "colorful as a rose" but you are filled with promise and potential. As we age we sometimes get a little bit jaded and cynical. We see the harshness, bitterness, and difficulties of life. Compare that to how a child sees the world: filled with new things, wonder, and delight. My prayer at times is that - for just a few moments every day - I would see the world through the eyes of a child.
It is difficult to walk through snow without leaving tracks. So also in life. Are you aware of the tracks you are leaving?
I went for a walk with my shadow today. The temperature was bitter cold and the wind was blustery. It wouldn't take much to get frostbite. But my shadow didn't seem to mind. Actually, I didn't mind it much either when I was protected on the lee side of a row of pine trees. Have you ever thought about what (or who) it is that provides "windbreaks" for you in this life?
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AuthorJoel Kreger is a writer who grew up in Minnesota, spent many years of his life in Iowa and Wisconsin, and now lives in Minnesota. His life experience includes careers of serving 17 years as a Lutheran parish pastor, working 18 years as a public school teacher, and now writing as a novelist and blogger. Archives
April 2019
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