The Willow Tree
Contemplating God's Creation
Back in 2020, my son, who was ten at the time, asked me this question:
“If you were a tree, what type of tree would you be, and why?”
I thought about it for a second, but I knew in my heart what my answer was.
A willow tree.
When I was a little girl there were enormous old willow trees at the house across the road from me. It was my grandparents house but I never met them. I remember playing in the swaying branches in the spring.
Sometimes, if you had enough branches in your hand, you could swing on them. Not far, but enough to feel exhilarated. Sometimes I would break a few off, twisting them together to make crowns that I would proudly wear around.
I remember lying on the ground underneath the tree, watching the gentle sway of branches in the breeze, and listening to the leaves giggle as the air tickled past them. If I close my eyes, I can still remember the sound they made.
When it was really windy and most trees would have lost branches, the willow tree was strong because it was so flexible. Not many branches broke off of it, but it would sway and swing in the strong wind. I want to be like that. Strong, yet flexible.
There is beauty and lessons all around us.
So let me ask you - If you could be a tree, what would you be, and why?