Redbud Trees: Sowing, But Will I Reap?

The sentinels of spring in rural Eastern America are the redbud trees. They stand with heads erect and arms stretched gracefully outward along the sunny edges of woodlands and roadsides, poised like ballerinas in frilly magenta tutus.

I am totally enamored with their heart-shaped leaves and delicate pink flowers, so last year for Mother’s Day, Alan let me choose three little redbud trees and planted them in our yard within eyesight of our windows.

They are a joy to me . . . thriving and starting to put out leaves.

One even had quite a show of flowers that reminded me of sweet peas this spring, and I discovered through studying that these trees (Cercis canadensis) are related to the pea family. The flowers are edible and can be eaten fresh, fried, or boiled. The green seed pods dangle like pea pods from the branches, and Native Americans roasted and ate the seeds. Even the tender new shoots were used in some parts of Appalachia to season wild game, so one of the redbuds’ nicknames is the “spicewood tree.”

I found one mature tree that I thought at first was being strangled by dead poison ivy vines (we unfortunately have lots of poison ivy in our woods), but on closer inspection, I realized it was loaded with dried seed pods. It was a rainy day, but we gathered some pods so I could do a little Johnny Appleseed work and hopefully spread the joy!

Each pods holds about 6 seeds, so after the rain stopped, I carefully took the pods one by one and placed them lovingly along the paths through our woods.

I even scattered some of the pods along the sides of the deer runs, although it was a little alarming to notice the hundreds of maple seed pods and acorns vying for the same space!

Could one redbud pod compete with so many other seeds and actually find its place in the world?

And, how much wetness can Eastern Redbuds survive? Would the seeds drown in the muck and their roots just rot and dissolve? I began to second guess myself. I should have done more study before cheerfully throwing seeds everywhere.

After all, we didn’t name our home Tanglewood Cottage for nothing . . . the woods are full of tangled vines and trees that take up much of the sunlit spaces.

There’s a lot of clay and lowland . . . pretty raw with not too many wildflowers gracing the ground. Well, lots of wild garlic mustard, but to most people that “wildflower” is considered nothing more than a noxious, invasive weed.

Still, we do have some nice patches of may apples, and little violets and trout lilies peak out here and there . . .

I remembered the parable of the sower from church two weeks ago. When sowing seed (the message of Christ and the scripture), the sower scattered it everywhere liberally. Some seed was carried off by birds. Some fell in dry places (or for me, wet places). Some fell in cracks. Some sprang up but didn’t last.

I took photos of our young trees to help us watch for any seeds that may sprout up in coming years lest we accidentally trample any underfoot. Hmmm. How many young believers have I trampled underfoot in my life by saying or doing something insensitive?

Well, past failures shouldn’t make me fear future problems or discourage me from present efforts! I scattered them along both sides of our road.

I scattered them at the base of some other lovely bushes, like the ubiquitous honeysuckles that bloom along our lane and smell so heavenly right now, especially when it rains! Perhaps the older, more established plants will provide just the right amount of protection. Or not. I would try anyway.

(Forget-me-nots growing in our woods)

No matter what the terrain, I made sure every bit of the perimeter of our property was blessed with a few seeds, remembering my own conversion. The day after I heard the gospel and received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I shared with a friend at school who seemed unimpressed. “Oh, I’ve been a Christian since I was four.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I didn’t think you were the type.”

I let it drop, but I thought to myself, “The type? What type is THE type?” How does anybody know who might respond to the good news that God loves them and Christ came to save them? Forget-me-not! Okay, Lord. I will scatter seeds everywhere! I have no idea where they’ll grow. My job is to sow, but “God gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

(Lilies-of-the-Valley love our woods and grow in vast colonies!)

I even planted them among the colonies of lily-of-the-valley, remembering in the Song of Solomon that the bride called herself a “lily of the valley.” Perhaps some redbuds would find room to grow among the lilies of the valley!

(Lilacs intertwined with wisteria in the morning sunshine)

I left no ground uncovered until I came back into our yard where the 3 little redbuds from the nursery were thriving. We would take good care of the three already under our care, but I would keep an eye out for any of the pods that did spring to life anywhere along the perimeter of our property! Maybe none will grow, but who knows? Some just might!!

“And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:8-9).

TWA (42): America’s Big Cypress National Preserve

Sometimes we visited places because we heard about them and were excited to see them, but sometimes we “just happened” to see something as we were passing by.

Bald Cypress at Biltmore Estate in North Carolina

I’ve heard and read about the Everglades from childhood and was really eager to camp in their national park, but somehow I entirely missed the fact that such a thing as the Big Cypress National Preserve even exists . . . and suddenly I saw a sign saying we were passing through!

My profound ignorance of America is both embarrassing and humbling! So, we drove through but didn’t stop to explore since we were on our way to Long Pine Key Campground and already had a full day’s agenda planned.

Bald Cypress at the Biltmore Estate, Ashville, North Carolina

It was only during post-trip studies that I learned cypress trees are among the oldest living plants on earth. Alan’s reading The Secret Life of Trees, and it’s heightened his appreciation for the nature and capacity of trees for communication and social networking. Who’d have thought?

The Methuselah Tree, a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine. Getty Image.
One of the oldest living nonclonal trees in America

So, we missed seeing any of the ancient cypresses in Florida, but I now have a couple of trees I’d like to meet when we travel to the Southwest: Methuselah and Pando!

Pando Aspen Grove in Fishlake National Forest, Utah. Public Domain
A clonal tree thought to be 80,000 years old—the oldest living organism on earth

Just a question to ponder and maybe discuss with a friend — or leave a note online in the comment box. If you could ask Methuselah a question and get an answer, what would you ask?

I might ask what the world was like 4,852 years ago, or what he thinks of the world today, or how it feels to be so old. As part of a preceptorship during graduate training in clinical psychology, I enjoyed weekly visits with an extremely old lady in a nursing home (whose mind was sharp despite physical frailty). What a wealth of wisdom and perspective!

Father’s Day has just passed. Did you spend time with your father, or were you (like I was on my trip) too busy? Full agenda? Something more exciting to do? Ignorant? May I encourage all of us to seek out our parents (or other elderly people) and ask them questions about the past? There’s so much we can learn from those who are “ancient!” And, for the myriad questions no mortal can answer, we can always approach the Ancient of Days for wisdom: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).

If you’re not sure you believe there is an eternal God who can grant us wisdom, or if you think you’re too busy to get to know Him, let me share this brief description of Him. Oh, and He’s asking us a couple of questions too:

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10).

“Where were you when I made the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its measurements? Surely you know! Who stretched a surveyor’s instrument across it? What were the earth’s foundations set on, or who put its cornerstone in place while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted with joy?” (Job 38:4-7, EB).

Now I Am an Old Woman!

We can be anything, so let’s be kind!

What’s your favorite color? Mine is purple, but I didn’t wait until I turned old to wear purple, and despite feeling tempted, I passed up on the opportunity to buy a red hat the other day. I shan’t wear purple and red together, I don’t think, despite Jenny Joseph’s consideration. Do you know her poem, “Warning,” in which she proclaimed to others that she would become irresponsibly silly when she got old? In a 1996 survey by BBC, this poem was identified as the most popular post World War 2 poem in England!

Despite her outrageous claims as a 29-year-old, Jenny Joseph lived to be 85, and there seems to be no record of her ever becoming irresponsible. In fact, she wrote 13 books of poetry, at least 6 children’s books, and was honored to become a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in recognition of her outstanding contributions to British poetry.

Now, that’s more like it—at least to me! I do love purple, and I definitely tip my (probably not red) hat to cultural non-conformity (although only of the moral and legal varieties). I would love to live life to the fullest and enjoy every day that my gracious Lord allows, but I also want to praise and thank God for giving me “three-score and ten.” Life is such a gift!

Last night Alan and I watched Robin’s Wish, which was a documentary about the life of Robin Williams (2020, IMDb rating of 7.5). Born in 1951, he is considered one of the western world’s most ingenious entertainers. Sadly, he committed suicide in 2014 when he was only 63. For years, the world thought it was the tragic end of the clown who was only smiling on the outside but crying on the inside. However, the documentary explained that Robin had been suffering for a few years with anxiety, depression, hallucinations, sleeplessness, and various physical symptoms. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, but on autopsy, it was discovered that Robin had dementia with diffuse Lewy bodies. His brain was degenerating rapidly on a wide scale.

I mention this for two reasons. The first is that I hope whether you’re twelve or twenty-nine or eighty-nine you appreciate the gift of life and determine to use your gift fully, and for good! As I begin my eighth decade, that is my determination.

Second, Alan and I just looked at each other with a bit of shock and a touch of horror as we watched the Robin Williams movie. Alan’s father committed suicide at 69. His diagnosis was prostate cancer with depression, but his mental symptoms were eerily parallel to those of Robin Williams. In 2014, when Williams committed suicide, Lewy Bodies were the second leading cause of dementia (second only to Alzheimer) but were most often not diagnosed. Forty-one years ago, when Alan’s father died, the first case of Lewy Body dementia had just been discovered in Japan but wasn’t yet recognized in America. So, for the past 41 years, Alan and I (and Alan’s family) have anguished over his father’s mental state, wondering what in the world happened to his soft-spoken father who had always seemed like the picture of responsibility and good-neighborliness. How did he devolve in a matter of a few years into someone totally unable to cope with life and who felt like he was “going crazy” all the time? Probably he was.

So, a word of warning! If you, like me, are entering old age, work hard to stay fit mentally and spiritually as well as physically. If you notice unusual mental changes, talk to your loved ones and talk to your doctor. Get all the support and help you can.

Also, if you have an aging loved one who is acting irresponsibly, don’t just pass it off as the fulfillment of some whimsical childhood wish, and please don’t think they were always secretly “awful.” Sickness of the brain does happen, and it can severely change the personality. My mother developed Alzheimer’s, but before I understood her disease, I assumed she had always had the strange personality I observed (at diagnosis) but that she had kept it secret until she couldn’t hide it any longer. Now I know better! Even non-demented people who love people and enjoy company can definitely change as they age and find entertaining very difficult. People don’t suddenly become liars, but they may lose their ability to remember and so say things that aren’t true. ETC. Have grace! Don’t jump to conclusions (like I did as a young adult). Trust that “the real” person was genuine, but if they start acting mentally ill, it’s probably because they have become so. We all grow old if we don’t die young! We all need love, support, faith, hope, and kindness.

“Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you.
I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.“
(Isaiah 46:4; God will save us if we ask!)

Black and White Challenge

“Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” (Job 38:22)

My daughter-in-law Carlie tagged me in a Facebook challenge to post seven black and white photos in seven days with no explanation or words. At the time, my life was spinning too fast to take her up on it, but tomorrow the holiday festivities begin with the first family arriving, and between now and the New Year, we have high hopes of seeing all twelve of our children (counting our in-law kids) and eighteen grandchildren except those who live in Belgium. Therefore, my life is going to be even busier . . . possibly too busy to write my blog! So, I’m thinking to have a series of seven black and white photos that depict what life has been like over the past few weeks (albeit interrupted over the weekend with my usual recipe post on Saturday and a scripture meditation on Sunday). Perhaps over the Christmas to New Year week I can post a series of color photos that relate to our holidays and the joy of family (from another popular challenge going around Facebook these days called “Grandma”).

Because my heart is to share the Lord, I’m allowing myself one scripture verse caption for each photo, but I won’t indulge in any other explanations or words. Hope you enjoy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Willow, Weep for Me?

I will weep for you!
How is it that simple winds
Can break a huge tree?

Although weeping willows grow quickly to great heights and are often prized by romantics (like me) for their long, gracefully arching branches and lacey leaves, they are relatively short-lived (about 50 years). They have vast root systems that suck up huge amounts of water, and in the winter, the water can freeze, causing the branches to become rigid and brittle. So, despite their beauty and size, weeping willows are prone to ice damage, and even a stiff spring wind can cause a great fall, such as happened recently to one of the lovely willows along our lane.

In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul describes the healthy way for a church to grow. Have you noticed that some churches grow at amazingly rapid rates? They may be drinking in a lot of spiritual water (the Word, Ephesians 5:26) and even have sturdy root systems (rooted and grounded in love, Ephesians 3:17), but if they don’t recognize and utilize the full compliment of their church’s gifts (as given by God to each member), they are likely to become rigid and brittle over time (which happens in churches led by only one man) and very susceptible to “every wind of doctrine” that blows. The results can be devastating, just like weeping willow trees: Individual branches break off easily, and sometimes even huge limbs can come crashing down in a wind storm, not only killing a large part of the tree, but exposing the rest of the tree to disease and eventual death.

If you are a part of the leadership at your church, are you making sure to use all the spiritually gifted members of your congregation? Many minds and hearts working together will protect you from doctrinal error and strengthen your church family. If you are an inactive member of your congregation, do you know what your spiritual gift is? Will you offer to use your gift to help your church be healthy and grow stronger?

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16, ESV).