Sunday, April 15, 2012

Ode to the Woods

DSC08692_edited-1 {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….

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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!

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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…

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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.

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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…

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…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…

DSC08727_edited-1 {this is ONE tree!}

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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…

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Moss and stone…

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Light and shadow…

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What did I learn from the woods that day?

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 DSC08680_edited-1 {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…….

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

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

DSC08684_edited-1 {baby redwood trees just waiting for time…}

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

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DSC08733_edited-1 {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…

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

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DSC08792_edited-1 {my sweet little “chipmunk” daughter, Annie—3 days after all four wisdom teeth were removed!}

DSC08879_edited-1 {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…

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Julie

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