It's no secret - I love trees. I am captivated by pictures of tree-lined roads and photos of a single tree standing in the middle of an open field. Anyone who has visited my home knows this because almost every painting that adorns my walls has a tree as the focal point. My late husband, Steve, and I even had a tree on our commute to work that we "mentally" adopted.
My love of these God-given creations began as a child. Under a stately, old Mulberry tree was my favorite place to play. Not only did it shield me from the sun in the summer, but it offered a sweet snack that often stained my hands. Its lower branches were also near to the ground so that I could climb and see the world from a better view. Later, it served as a refuge to animals like a fox and its kits, a visiting fawn, and even ground hogs.
I'm also mesmerized by clouds, observing them from both the ground and from an airplane. It doesn't matter what kind; I love them all. In fact, one of my favorite weather moments is when a hot sunny day turns to gray with a cold front approaching. It threatens a storm, but the anticipation is electric. And who hasn't looked at the soft, billowy clouds and discerned a shape of something familiar?
It's when I take the time to see what God hath made that makes my life one of wonder. It reinforces my faith that there is something more to our existence, and the belief in a creator far greater than I. It's when the world can be seen for its beauty, and not for what frailties we humans encompass.
Strangely enough, I believe humans are God's greatest creation, yet they are often the most difficult to appreciate. Just like trees and clouds, each one is unique, and sometimes that is what we don't appreciate. Prejudice exists because of difference - not just the color of the skin, but ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and age.
But what if every tree and cloud were alike? Would we appreciate them as much? I think not, and that is somewhat of a paradox.
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