A Lesson in Trees: The Truth About Presence

Last updated on: December 2, 2014 at 9:40 am by Kaitlin B. Curtice

A Lesson in Trees: The Truth About Presence 2014-12-02T09:40:31-04:00 Kaitlin B. Curtice

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I stopped and saw the pinecones, numbers beyond numbers of them latched onto the branches of the tall tree.

The pinecones will fall from the tree and plummet to the ground, where they are gathered by squirrels for sustenance, gathered by children for joy.

But before they fall, I can see them, and in seeing them, I see presence among the long, withering branches.

The truth about God is that His presence brings itself to us and we are never alone.

The truth about God:

He sees our full horizon.

He’s never so high that we cannot reach Him.

We’re not as caged in as we think we are.

He brings blossom and bloom, even in our deepest winter.

His light overcomes our darkest shadow.

His love is for all of us, and every part of us.

Halellujah.

“A sincere man is not so much one who sees the truth and manifests it as he sees it, but one who loves the truth with pure love. But truth is more than an abstraction. It lives and is embodied in men and things that are real. And the secret of sincerity is, therefore, not to be sought in a philosophical love for abstract truth but in love for real people and real things— a love for God apprehended in the world around us.” —Thomas Merton

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