Yesterday, my dogwood tree was cut down. It was time for it to go because it had
many dead branches on it. The dogwood tree was just
outside my bedroom window. I loved to watch the tree at the changes of seasons.
In the springtime, new leaves would bud
forth and it would have beautiful white blossoms. Later berries would come
and many and different birds
would come and eat the berries.
It was a hub of activity!
I was fortunate to watch this marvel of nature for
thirty some years. The tree itself had grown so tall that it reached our
second floor window.
Even though the tree belonged to the monastery and
to all of us, I considered it "my" tree because it greeted me in the mornings and evenings
and when I looked out my window. I enjoyed watching its beauty and activity.
I am sad at the loss of this tree but am also reminded
of a quote by Alfred, Lord Tennyson that is
in my mind at this time. "The
old order changeth, yielding place to new and God fulfills himself in many ways lest one good custom
should corrupt the world."
Sr. Barbara Woeste, OSB
Dear Sister thank you for this good post. How precious trees are, surely we can save them better these days, surely the tree could flower longer and in good health. In our population growth and world development we have lost the forests, we do have to plant trees or the world will be a desert of dust. Memory, what was that tree he spoke about? thank you and God bless
ReplyDeleteDear Sister,
ReplyDeleteI sympathize with you concerning the loss of your beloved dogwood tree! I've noticed that this has been a hard year for the dogwood trees. When I was growing up, my Grandmother had two lovely dogwood trees in her yard. One was pink and the other was white, like yours. I loved them! They are both gone now, and someone else owns the house ... but I can still see them in bloom every time I pass by the old place. Change is inevitable, but sometimes very sad!