Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Changing Woman Rides Again

I came across this article on Yahoo (http://tinyurl.com/2d7gmtd) yesterday about the Anne Frank tree, which just fell ... it's the chestnut tree that stood outside the house where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis. As the article mentions, Anne refers to the tree on several occasions in her diary. I found this article sad at first because the tree was a hundred and fifty years old, and it had been so significant to the inhabitants of the Secret Annex. The tree seemed like such a tangible link to so many intangible and difficult things, including the many components of WWII. But, as I continued to read, I discovered that the tree had been bolstered by a steel frame years ago because it was diseased. Then, I began to wonder about the lengths to which the Dutch had gone to extend the life of this sick tree.

Last night was cool here, as was today ... I ended up closing my windows last night, and found I was under dressed this morning. It's as if we've transitioned into Fall overnight. I am starting to see the end of summer around me, and I feel it coming, both physically and emotionally. Change is in the air (on this full moon). Again? Still.

And the two thoughts come together ... how hard I/we struggle sometimes. How often I resist (often unaware) these changes even when we know they are the cycles of life. Rather than getting stuck in sadness/nostalgia/anxiety, I choose today to marvel at the big-ness and ultimate balance/justice/wholeness of it all. Nature’s course is still her own