February 3, 2022

When I Am Among The Trees





Trees save me daily, 

and this beautiful poem by Mary Oliver 

reminds me of their importance in my life.

I thank Mary, and I thank the trees

for saving me today.



WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES
by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.” 



6 comments:

  1. beautiful soul you have

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  2. I think this is why my husband insisted on being a forester even though the pay was awful. He loved every day he spent in the woods. I love to be outside also.

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    Replies
    1. That would be nice to be paid to be in the forest every day.

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  3. Somewhere there is a photo of yours truly taken back in the late 60s in what is now Pacific Rim National Reserve standing on a fallen log sheltered by a giant fern - your photo took me back to that very happy time. I have always been a "bush girl." My father loved the forest; when I was born we lived in northern BC. Home of my heart really. I live in the city now but if you google "elm trees streets of Winnipeg" and hit "Images" you'll see photos of the lovely part of town in which I live. There have been many times, especially when the first leaves unfurl in spring, when I stood at the head of my street and had tears come to my eyes. I love to go walking in the shade of those delicious canopies all summer long. And now I am getting maudlin...

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    Replies
    1. I have hiked the West Coast Trail three times from end to end. I had wanted to do it since I was in high school and found a hiking guide in the school library. It became my obsession, and I made it happen. Some of the best hiking of my life.

      Elms are beautiful, impressive trees that get very large. With Dutch Elm Disease you are lucky to still have some standing. Trees make a city liveable, and I can't imagine being somewhere without them. We had elms in our front yard growing up in Lethbridge. Since there aren't many trees on the surrounding prairies, they were precious.

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