Majestic it stands,
branches reaching out to all the world
no exceptions
roots ever-growing,
grounding within the earth.
Rustling, swaying and singing,
dancing in the late autumn breeze,
yet sturdy and solid enough
to receive storm winds of change with ease.
It blesses
the hungry with fruit
the weary with shade
and
the joyful with beauty.
And when it is chopped down from its majesty –
as it most certainly will be –
it will provide for the multitudes
the memory of stability
in a table
or a chair
or a cross to bear.
“For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people.”*

*Isaiah 65:22 (NIV)

Painting by Eli Halpin: https://elihalpin.com/pages/about-me