Slices of life, both written and photographed.

Monday, May 17, 2010

The Majesty of Trees Enriches Life




Once, when volunteering for an organization that served the blind, I met a young blind man who had been born with sight.



A cancerous brain tumor removal when he was about eight years old left him blind. One time I asked him what he'd want to see more than anything else if his sight could ever be restored. His answer astounded me.

     "A tree," he said.  He remembered how incredible a tree looked against the sky.


The reason his answer floored me is because I passed dozens of trees every single day but never even paid much attention to them.  It saddened me to think how much I took totally for granted.


From that day until now, I do look at trees and find them quite majestic.  Today I see them with great admiration and gratitude. 



Whether covered with green leaves in spring and summer, attired in autumn's scarlet splendor, or silhouettes of bare branches against the sky in winter, trees enrich our lives.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE TREE?



12 comments:

Susan Roux said...

I too love trees. I posted about a 500 year old tree in Ireland. Here is the link: http://susanroux.blogspot.com/2010/01/tree.html My comments on this post showed many others love trees...

Its amazing what wonderful things we take for granted. We are all guilty. My favorite is when they are covered with green leaves and they wiggle in sunshine and blow in a gentle breeze...

BECKY said...

I love trees, too. I'm always astounded when I ask someone if they noticed the gorgeous trees on a particular day, and they say "no". I don't think I have a favorite tree, other than the color of a springtime bloom, or the fall foliage...but I have a favorite tree memory...a Weeping Willow that was in our back yard when I was very young. I'd climb up it, a branch or two, but felt as if I was high in the sky. I pretended I was on a huge, sailing ship, as the wind blew the entire tree to and fro! Thanks for the memory tug!

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Trees, beautiful trees! Hard to hug a palm tree. :) Angels, I know, have saved me many, many times. Love those lilacs. And your cranberry chandelier is gorgeous. I am definitely not into modern. My style is more eclectic. I've just caught up on all your posts. I've been finding it hard to get much done, except working and cleaning. wishing you a wonderful week :) Tammy

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I love trees! We are are lucky to live in an older neighborhood with wonderful trees. I take lots of photos of trees against the sky, just magical to me! Great post sweet friend! I am lucky to be able to see and appreciate trees!

diane stetson said...

My favorite tree is a weeping willow...don't have them where I live now but I remember them from childhood.I'm grateful for sight too!

Chatty Crone said...

I love trees too - by one of our shopping centers - believe it or not - there must be a 250 hundred or more year old tree. It is so stately and I bet it has seen a lot of history in the area - including the actual civil war.

Sandie

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

I'm a tree lover...not to be confused with a tree hugger. ;) It would be very hard to pick a favorite, but Japanese Maple is certainly on the list.

Rebecca said...

Susan, I, too, have a great fondness for trees. I especially like to stand under the aged ones and think of all the people and history that have passed during their lifetimes; the storms they have weathered.

And just so you know, for all practical purposes, I HAVE not been thrift store shopping. This last time was just a stop to break up 5 hours traveling time. Is that just an excuse? I guess it is :)

Andrea said...

I love trees and stare up into them all of the time. I sit out on my deck and stare up at my neighbor's trees, which hang over my yard. If I stare long enough, I'll notice some little critters up there, that are not visible to the eye, unless you are patient. Little birds, squirrels, sometimes I'll even spot a hummingbird. Love that first picture you posted. Gorgeous!

Mollye said...

Oh This is beautiful. I have 13 year old twin grandsons both blind and can truly appreciate this poignant piece. Thanks for sharing, Mollye

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

How difficult to adjust to losing ones sight ~ you are right about taking for granted something like seeing a tree. Or seeing anything!

I appreciate this post!
Kindly, ldh

Susan said...

Hello Everyone! Thank you all so much for your sweet visits and kind words. I appreciate each of you so much. Sincerely, Susan

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