The day after Christmas, first things first, I removed the orange-slices & apple-slice ornaments from the little cedar Christmas tree. It had greatly enjoyed its time in the spotlight as a Christmas tree. But it was feeling rather weary and dry after all the excitement!
To be sure it was nice to have its photo taken a lot! … and then to have its photo shared with family and friends! It made the tree feel just a bit famous.
And of course it was nice to receive so many affirmations and compliments. Makes one feel rather special!
But by the time the day after Christmas arrived, the little cedar was just ready for life to get back to normal. The little cedar was ready to get back outside where a nice steady winter rain was falling. The little cedar was feeling so dry. So very very dry.
Have you ever felt rather “dry” after Christmas?
Of course the glitz and glamor and lights of the Holiday Season are a lot of fun! Of course the concerts, and decorations, and events, and get-togethers are wonderful!
But once it’s all over, you just feel weary … and dry. You’re ready for life to “get back to normal.”
Here you can see the little cedar … happily planted back in the forest. This is a new spot for the cedar.
As you can see in the photo, the leader-branch is clearly broken … and drooping. The leader-branch might have been zip-tied and duct-taped for Christmas appearances of “looking perfect.” But there’s no denying, the leader-branch is gone.
It’s time for the cedar to have a fresh clean start in a new part of the forest.
Previously, the little cedar had been growing in front of the house, right along the pathway where there was high-traffic and high-visibility. Here you can see the empty, now-vacant spot where the little tree used to grow.
Now, the little cedar is back in the far corner of the yard … with very little traffic, and no visibility.
But then again, that’s not entirely true. The spot where the little cedar is now planted is a high-traffic area for all of the wildlife. This particular corner of the property is where the deep ravine behind our house comes up to join the higher ground. Therefore, this area is a high-traffic thoroughfare for animals coming up out of the ravine, or else headed back down into the ravine.
And not only that, just a stone’s throw away, back in the forest behind the little cedar is a “watering hole” which the animals frequent often!
Voila … the watering hole:
Even though the leader-branch is broken off and life for this little cedar doesn’t look anything at all like it used to … there is still so much more to its story!
This little cedar has wonderful new neighbors of ferns & rhododendrons nearby. These neighbor ferns & rhodies also know what it is like to be “dug up” and “replanted someplace new” … because they too were just recently dug up and transplanted to this back corner.
This little cedar has a nearby neighbor of another young cedar sapling. The cedar sapling friend is, in fact, the very same age! They have a lot in common!
And … the view isn’t bad either back in this new location!
To be sure, life won’t be easy. The coyotes in particular like to come by and pee all over little saplings. So that’s going to be a challenge to overcome! And there is the constant challenge of the deer – which like to nibble endlessly on any tender green growth … not to mention scratching their antlers on any young woody growth.
Life will indeed have its challenges. Life always does.
But in spite of it all, there is still so much more to the story!
This little cedar will put its roots down and develop a brand-new set of strong anchor roots! Anchor roots which will not only hold this cedar solid and firm throughout storms in the coming years … but which will also hold the surrounding land solid and firm throughout wet deluges. The roots of this tree will help to anchor the soil and hold the top edge of the ravine intact.
This little cedar will grow to become a beautiful part of this back forest corner!
This little cedar will provide food for wildlife through its seeds. It will provide shelter for the wildlife in its branches and under its protective greenery-boughs.
There’s so much more to the story!
In life, we too might sometimes feel like this little cedar.
In life, we might wind up having our leader-branch broken. We are out there conquering life and succeeding, then something happens which “breaks our leader-branch.” Will we ever be the same?? Is this the end??
No! There’s still so much more to our story!
In life, we at times will find ourselves “dug up.” Perhaps it is being “dug up” due to a job change, and we have to “start all over again” in a new job at a new company. Perhaps we are “dug up” with a move, and we have to “start all over again” in a new city, a new state, a new climate, a new culture.
It’s hard!! It’s really hard!
Perhaps we find ourselves “dug up” due to sickness and illness. Our body will no longer function the way it used to. We can no longer do what we used to do. Our life is “dug up” and “transplanted to a new spot.” Nothing looks the same as it used to. We are having to “start over.” Is this the end??
No! There is still so much more to the story!
Just like the little cedar – even though we might have been “dug up” … even though we might have “left behind half of our roots” … even though we might have gone through a season where our pitiful little root-ball has gotten “so very dry!” …
… and then we find ourselves facing a new year … a new spot to grow … a future of uncertainty stretching out in front of us – this is not the end! There is still so much more to our story!
As mentioned above, the little cedar has nice new fern & rhodie neighbors which have also been recently “dug up” and they know what it’s like. In life when we are “dug up” and “facing life in a new spot” if we look around, we likewise will find nice new neighbors/friends who might also “know what it’s like.” It helps to have someone who understands and knows what it’s like.
The little cedar used to be in a high-traffic, high-visibility location. Now, in its new spot, it has a different kind of high-traffic, high-visibility. So also in life, when we find ourselves “dug up” and “facing life in a new spot” we too might feel as if we have lost everything which used to be “normal” for us.
But if we look closely, we will probably discover that in this “new spot” we have something which is every bit as special … it’s just different.
There is so much hope for the little cedar!
So also, when it comes to our own life, there is hope! There is always hope!
This is not the end! There is still so much more to your story!
