#AdventWord #Soul

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In my canticle of creation, the bayou is my brother and the cypress trees are my soul sisters. Their spring song is all tender, feathery green. The summer verse features solos by birds too varied and plentiful to number, embellished by inaudible (you must listen carefully!) trills of dragonfly and damselfly niads climbing the trunks to break forth as winged jewels, leaving impossibly small exoskeletons now split down the back but clinging to the bark long after the life they sheltered has departed. In autumn, the throats of my sisters deepen to coppery red and gold, transforming the dark surface…

#AdventWord #Strength

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It’s a kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). And as a naturalist, knowing what kind of tree it is matters to me. But this tree.., this tree grabbed me by the heart first. I wanted to ask it questions, and I did, but not questions about its species identity or its physical characteristics. What do you see from where you stand, dear tree? How did you get so tall–so much taller than all those companions clustered around your trunk and mingling with your roots? What can you teach us about finding your niche in the universe and living to your fullest potential?…