Once upon a time, not so very long ago, I sat alone in a Yosemite forest and wept.
My husband and I had been hiking to a major grove of sequoias and were not more than a mile away, when I could go no farther. With my legs like lead and my heart racing, I knew I had to stop, even though to be so close and yet so far broke my heart.
Reluctantly, I told my husband to go on, and I sat down on a fallen log and let the tears fall. Self-pity and misery were my sole companions.
At some point, however, alone in that awesome silence and solitude, I looked up.
And behold! Although I had not made it to the famous grove of sequoias, I realized there were still plenty of sequoias all around me. And oh, the wonder of it! The glorious grandeur!
Through hundreds of years of raging winds, violent storms, bitter colds, drying droughts, and yes, even forest fires these gentle giants somehow persevered to become the towers of elegant strength standing before me. Each ancient tree a work of art, a testimony to hope.
And then, as if to sing to a new beginning, a single sequoia pinecone fell silently through the air, pinging like a soft musical note as it landed in front of me.
Today, in these extremely turbulent times, that seed of sequoia wisdom reminds me of the goodness and beauty still surrounding us not only in creation but also in all of humankind, no matter how, on some days, it is so hard to see.
Peace. Be still. Let’s look together.
I'm Marnie O. Mammingaand that's my Perspective.
