Okay… I was on vacation and I confess that I indulged in some shows that I’d normally surf through. I watched a bit of “Say Yes to the Dress.” This is a program that celebrates the ritual of women gathering to present the betrothed in the most alluring garb on her special day.
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Hurricane Irma did its dirty work down in Florida. Many lost much, but by human standards, I was a lucky one. My home is intact and there is no visible damage, except…
When I first had my Florida home built in the middle of a pasture, there were two friendly trees that caught my eye. I say “friendly” because a large oak and a tangerine tree were in each other’s embrace near where I planned to build the home. My guess is that many years ago a bird or another creature had sat in the branches of the oak and released a seed. That seed grew (a little too close) into the tangerine tree. In some ways the two trees competed for nourishment and light. Although they were closely situated, there was clearly enough to see them through their many years of companionship. When my house was finally built, I remember driving many miles from NJ excited to see the finished product. When I came around the bend, it was late afternoon and the Sun was reflecting off of thousands of tangerines with a golden welcome. It was a magical moment. The tangerine tree took a serious beating in Hurricane Irma. Its bark is stripped and its branches are bare. There is one branch with some green leaves. My groundsman Bill wants to save the tree, but its future seems very doubtful. The skeletal figure stands next to its oak companion of many years and, to tell the truth, I was appalled and saddened. Then I remembered that Nature was the vehicle by which that creature dropped the tangerine seed decades ago. Now Nature has taken back Her gift, asserting the ancient rhythms of the pasture. I’m left with the memory of its golden welcome over 20 years ago. If we replace the grief of loss with “having had the privilege,” maybe the words “thank you” will roll off the tongue more easily. Gratitude is incompatible with arrogance and entitlement. Wouldn’t that be a breath of fresh air (tinted with tangerine blossoms)! With love, Rosanne Bostonian |
AuthorDr. Rosanne Bostonian often travels to her second home in rural Florida, where she enjoys relaxing to the sounds of nature. An avid reader, she also fosters her own spiritual growth by reading top spiritual authors, including Eckhart Tolle, Pema Chodron, and Marianne Williamson. This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesArchives
November 2023
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