My heartbeat of God tree has now shed her outer layer. The sheaves of bark lay in a pile, neatly stacked at one side of her base. She had once stood tall, almost to rooftop level of the nearby three-story building. I knew her then, and would greet her with a pat on her trunk, and sometimes with a hug.
One year, when I came to visit this beautiful place, I cried. For she had been struck by lightning , was badly wounded. A heavy branch as thick as her trunk lay beside her on the grass. Oh, a sad sight to behold!
One year, as I set out on my usual walk around the grounds, I rounded the corner, and wept again. My tree had been cut, leaving only a 20 foot trunk behind. I approached her, placed my hand on her familiar base, and stayed, trying to understand. Surely part of her was still alive. I noticed a small shoot at her base, her offspring. I felt the heartbeat of God. (https://ponderingchrist.org/2022/11/19/heartbeat-of-god/)
A few years have passed, and now her peeled bark lies in a heap. Her trunk is shrinking, has gaps, and I’m not so sure she lives. I weep again.
This majestic life, still standing tall enough to provide a lookout spot for a goose several years ago, now appearing to weaken.
I think of my Nick, his life cut short too soon. This tree shows what happens when tragedy strikes. I’m not sure what lesson it holds. Many swirl through my heart, and perhaps yours.
Somehow connected to Nick, to God, to life, to you, to me.
Our heartbeat of God tree.
Pondering Christ 