The Mighty Oak

A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree’s leaves away
Then snapped its boughs
And pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark.
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke
“How can you still be standing, Oak?”
The Oak tree said,
“I know that you can break each branch of mine in two,
Carry every leaf away, shake my limbs, and make me sway.
But I have roots stretched in the earth,
Growing stronger since my birth,
You’ll never touch them, for you see,
They are the deepest part of me.
Until today, I wasn’t sure of just how much I could endure
But now I’ve found, with thanks to you,
I’m stronger than I ever knew.” – Johnny Ray Ryder, Jr


I borrowed this poem from a blog that I stumbled on: http://boobsinjuriesanddrpepper.blogspot.com/

And it's written by a woman who is a long time blogger (as far back as 2005) and has recently found herself in an institution. She writes lengthly entries about how she feels and her daily experiences. Her entries receive many comments, of which I don't have the heart to read. I haven't taken the time to go back and read the archives of her life. I do check it each day, and take a moment to send her a good thought and wish her well.

It reminds me that there are people everywhere who are suffering from this and that. Some silently cope. Some wish that things will eventually take care of themselves. Some cry out. Some just give up. This is such a crazy world with so much good to offer, and yet ugliness abounds.

You know, the good days come and the bad days come right along with them. It's a chilly, very overcast and gray day today. I'm looking off of the back deck and it's just a crappy-looking kind of day. It was a tough inside day today, too. A big fight caused by an accident that transcended into a nasty exchange. It was painful and exhausting. My attempt at an apology was met with, "Go away. I'm not interested." Which stung even more. It's over now - hopefully we have equal forgiveness and understanding, but my heart still feel a little heavy.

My backyard is alive with sounds of happiness. The birds are singing and it's so wonderful to know that Nature always comes around; that life and song can raise you up. I'm thankful that I'm remembering to keep the feeders full, and that we have an influx of winged visitors. The Cardinals' redness pops against the still brown yard. The Finches dart about, looking for a good place to land. The coupled Doves peck at the ground, keeping an eye out for a dog that will make every attempt to take them out.

The gray passes eventually. I hope that this week will be a good one.