Ode to the Woods

{it’s absolutely impossible to convey through these photos how immense these trees are…}

We went into the woods one day last month.  Not just any woods…the redwoods….

Muir Woods, to be precise.  Just beyond a drive across the beautiful Golden Gate Bride in San Francisco--quite a wonder in and of itself!

A trip taken with my parents, who’d never  been there before, and my niece, newly moved-in with us for a while…a daytrip planned and much anticipated…

I’d hoped for time there like we’d had before…quiet, peaceful, reflective…with almost no one else there…

…but that was not to be.  We pulled up to BUSLOADS of visitors.  I was so very disappointed.  I’d wanted my parents to experience the peace there that I’d felt before…………..

But I needn’t have worried.

You hardly noticed another soul in the trees around you, though hundreds joined us on the paths through the woods that day….

The trees seemed to inspire a reverence usually reserved for beautiful chapels, cathedrals…sacred places…

…this certainly feels like a sacred place to me…

…silence.  Hardly a laugh, raised voice or joke was to be heard.  No cell phones rang, no music…just the quiet, appreciative sounds, echoing my own.  The quiet click of a camera…and the silence and wisdom of the trees…

{this is ONE tree!}

Come and walk with me…

All around, the un-earthly earthiness of it all.  Trees taller than you can imagine—the breadth and age of them unreal…

Moss and stone…

Light and shadow…

What did I learn from the woods that day?

  {the birthdate of this tree?  909 A.D.!}

The beauty that the centuries bring…that age, in itself, is beautiful…

…and that wrinkles are actually quite a wonderful thing…….

 

 

That, no matter how old we are, there is always something new to be learned, to be appreciated…to admire…

That the freshness of  youth mingled with aged wisdom is a very beautiful thing…

{baby redwood trees just waiting for time…}

That even in the midst of all our realities, we can still find a fairyland in our own “backyard”…

{just the perfect home for a small family of elves…}

That we should never forget to look down for small beauties laid at our feet…

 

And that family time—no matter where we are—is the very best time of all…

{my sweet little “chipmunk” daughter, Annie—3 days after all four wisdom teeth were removed!}

{my photographer daughter, Sarah, captures her Grandma’s beautiful smile}

As you walk down your path of life today, I wish you a day full of peace, reflection and wonder at the world around you…

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Muir Woods,redwoods,family