Hug a Tree!

Not even I, being a summer girl through and through, can argue with the beauty of fall in the Pacific Northwest.  We definitely experience all the seasons in our Eastern Washington high desert locale.  The deciduous trees and bushes all take on an array of color, from bright yellow to deep crimson and everything in between. 

I have a special affinity for trees of all kinds.  I could never live in a place that doesn’t have them.  Green is my favorite color so all the shades of green that trees bear are my happy place.  I am forever in awe of sunlight hitting the leaves and turning them translucent, glowing bright chartreuse.  I love watching them twist and turn in a summer breeze.  Seeing those first signs of new growth in the spring makes my heart leap for joy.  I appreciate their shade on hot days and I even love seeing the bare branches laced with snow in winter.  I appreciate that they are nest holders for birds, and viewpoints for squirrels that leap from branch to branch. 

Trees themselves are lovely to behold, but I am fascinated by their individual leaves.  If you look closely at leaves, you see a perfect system of veins that allow the chlorophyll to reach the very tips and keep them green.  There are so many leaf shapes on different kinds of trees and even on the same tree, there is variation in size and shape.  In the fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and fluctuation in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process.  The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color fades to yellow and orange and gives the leaves their fall splendor.  Eventually the life in the leaves also fades away and they “fall” from the branches to the ground.

We’re blessed here in the northwest to witness this cycle of death and new life every year.  As the months pass, there is the opportunity for beginning anew each spring.  Some trees flower first and display an array of beautiful blossoms that quickly come and go.  The new, bright green leaves begin to flourish in the warmer temperatures.  Spring to me always feels fresh and hopeful and a chance to restart.  I always dread the cold, dark winter months, but were it not for them, spring would not be so refreshing and renewing. A very talented friend made this gorgeous stained glass representation of a tree.  I love how the sun enhances all the colors in the individual leaves.  When I look at it, I see seasons and life and hope. Being among trees makes me feel the same.  They are a part of creation that represent growth and new beginnings, steadfastness and durability. 

I’ve had more time this fall to enjoy the colors, the warmth of the sun on these shorter days, and the crisp mornings.  I’m trying hard to embrace the change of seasons more than ever before.  By February I’ll be complaining that spring isn’t coming soon enough, but it always shows up when it’s supposed to.  Embracing the seasons and rhythm of life is a good thing. Right now the leaves may be dying, but spring is coming.  It always does.  The trees tell the story every year without fail.  While this year’s leaves are falling, the trees are already working on the new growth to come. 

Nature gives us the best lessons. We have seasons, too. Whether we live where there are four distinct seasons or not, we all go through cycles of growing and resting and thriving and dying.  But what we can know for sure is that our favorite season always comes around again no matter how long it seems to take.  Spring will be back again in 165 days.  The trees will let us know.