Here you can see the tree on our property which was recently blown down in the windstorm.
You might look at this photo and think: That’s the end of that tree.
But no! This is not the end.
The standing snag which remains upright is now prime real estate for forest wildlife! Standing snags are highly valuable in the forest ecosystem. Woodpeckers excavate cavities in snags which they use for homes … as you can see this Pileated Woodpecker here doing.
Any old homes which woodpeckers have vacated, little squirrels and chipmunks, as well as a variety of birds, take up residence. This standing snag will provide home and shelter for a vast array of forest creatures!
This standing snag is not the end of the tree … but rather it is simply a new and different “season” for the tree.
What about all the branches and greenery which graced the top of the tree? (which you can see here, on the left of the photo) You might think: That’s the end of that.
But no! This is not the end.
These branches and greenery we lopped off and spread all across the forest floor. These will provide shelter for all kinds of different little forest-floor animals – such as mice, and chipmunks, etc. … As well as food! (from the many seeds among the greenery!)
Also, as these green boughs break down over the years, they will add nutrients back into the forest soil. This greenery plays a valuable role in the forest ecosystem. This is not the end for this greenery … but rather a new and different “season.”
In past years, hubby and I have had the branches and greenery ground into bark chips. These bark chips are what comprise our flowerbeds in front of our house.
Previously this front “flowerbed” was nothing but overgrown forest ferns and lots of decaying stumps. The chipped branches and greenery have given brand new life to our flowerbed.
The bark chips provide an insulating layer during these cold 28-degree wintery days. They likewise provide an insulating layer to hold moisture in during the sweltering days of summer. And as the bark chips break down, they also add nutrients to the soil. This is not the end for the branches … but rather a new and different “season.”
Out of the total tree which was toppled in the recent windstorm, 1/3 is now a standing snag … 1/3 hubby and I are leaving just as it is where it landed … and the remaining 1/3 hubby chain-sawed into log rounds.
Fallen logs are a vital component of a healthy forest ecosystem. Fallen logs have many benefits not only for the forest animals, but also for the microbes and the soil. This fallen log is not the end … but rather a new and different “season.”
The log rounds which hubby sawed, we split into firewood yesterday.
This is not the end … but rather a new and different “season” for this firewood. This firewood which we split yesterday will need to sit in the woodshed for a year or two to “season.” Fresh, “green” firewood does not burn well. Hence a period of time for “seasoning.”
In life, we all go through times when we feel like it is the end. Just like the giant tree which toppled in our forest during the windstorm, we feel like our life has been “toppled” in the “storms of life”! We feel like it is the end.
But this is not the end.
This is simply the end of one “season” … and the beginning of a new and different “season” of life.
There is so much more of life still left!
What will the next “season” of life look like??
We don’t know.
Perhaps our next “season” will look like a standing snag. We might feel “broken” but we are still standing! We might feel “broken” but we matter! We are highly valuable and we are vital in the lives of those around us!
If you feel “broken” … this is not the end. It is simply a new and different “season.”
Perhaps our next “season” might look like the evergreen boughs scattered all across the forest floor. We might feel like our “branches” have been “lopped off.” But those pieces of us which have “fallen to the forest floor” can be a source of help for others around us!
We might not realize it, but the pieces of us which we feel like we have lost … those pieces of our story and those piece of who we are … those can help others! The branches on the forest-floor are hugely important!
If you feel “lopped off” … this is not the end. It is simply a new and different “season.”
Perhaps our next “season” might look like bark chips. We might feel like we have “gone through the grinder” and been spit out on the other side. We might feel like our life is nothing more than “bark chips.” Bark chips are hugely important! Bark chips rebuild flowerbeds which once were not there! Bark chips protect and insulate! Bark chips provide nutrients and encourage growth! This is not the end! This is just a new and different “season.”
Perhaps our next “season” might look like log rounds, split into firewood. The firewood needs to sit in the woodshed for a year or two to “season.” We might feel like our life has been “put on the shelf.” We want to go out there in the world and make a difference! But it feels like we’ve been “put on the shelf” for the time being.
We need to “season.”
We might not be ready for whatever that thing is which God has for us in the future. There are things which God is working on in our life. There are things which God is developing in us … which only time can develop.
If you feel like your life has been “put on the shelf” … this is not the end. It is only a “season” … so that you can “season.”
The firewood ultimately is highly valuable in producing heat for our home! This morning was 28 degrees! A heat source is very valuable!
And then after the wood has produced heat … there is the bucket of ashes.
But even now this is not the end. It is simply a new and different “season.”
Wood ash contains many nutrients which are beneficial for the soil. Granted, I can’t pour out all the wood ash from my fireplace in my garden all winter long. That much wood ash would disrupt the overall balance of nutrients in the soil.
In the same way, as we age, we wind up with “buckets of wisdom” which have come from our own “fiery trials of life.” Lessons we have learned … which we can share with the younger generation … to help them in their own life journey.
These “buckets of wisdom” aren’t necessarily meant to be poured out on just one “garden” of just one person’s life. But rather our “buckets of wisdom” are meant to be spread generously across many different people’s “gardens” of their lives.
Those lessons we learned through our own fiery life situations are invaluable! They matter! Even in this “season” our life matters!
No matter what “season” of life you are in … your life matters!
This is not the end! It is simply a new and different “season.”
