“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
You Can’t Force Nature…
Where I live, we have lots of trees. We’re a little obsessed with getting oak trees to grow. My brother-in-law once gave us a bucket full of acorns (he has an abundance of oaks, and they produce plenty each year). We took them out into our back wooded area and spread them around. Hopeful, we went out there a few months later… I think we just fed the deer.
But in the last couple of years, we’ve started finding tiny oak trees sprouting in all kinds of places — some in the middle of the lawn, others where they clearly don’t belong: under our propane tank, next to the foundation of the house. I think we have the squirrels to thank for these little gifts.
We dug some up and tried to transplant them, and a few have started to grow. But there’s one that’s growing right at the edge of my flower garden. I was so excited when I found it. I put some chicken wire around it so the rabbits wouldn’t eat it. And this spring, there were new leaves! It’s grown about two feet this summer.
Sometimes I look at the trees and think about what they can teach us — about patience, change, and growth. Their steady pace of slowly growing and reaching, never rushing, season by season, ring by ring, is a visible reminder to slow down and stay rooted in this fast-paced, changing world.
(My amazing little tree, 🙂 —–>)
Seasons of Growth
A tree reminds me that my growth isn’t always visible. In some seasons, a tree may seem dormant, but beneath the ground, the roots are busy — preparing for the coming spring and summer.
There are times when my own quiet, reflective seasons feel like wasted time, but I have to remember: maybe those moments are preparing me for renewal and growth. Like the rings of a tree, my growth forms layer upon layer, change and learning shaped by new experiences.
Growth doesn’t happen all at once. It often unfolds gradually, quietly, and with purpose.
Weathering Change
Wind, storms, drought, all challenge the trees. Yet most continue to grow and adapt. They bend and sway, sometimes losing branches, but their roots remain deep and strong.
In my life, I’ve faced challenges and storms, as we all have. Looking back, I can see that I’ve bent and changed, been flexible, and lost a few “branches” along the way. But my foundation, my roots, my sense of who I am and what I believe, has carried me through.
I keep adjusting, adapting, learning, and growing all the while.
Patience as a Practice
One of the best things trees teach us is patience. Each grows at its own pace, in its own time. It doesn’t compare itself to the one beside it.
Trees remind us to honor our own path — to be patient with the slow, steady transformation that comes from learning something new, healing from loss, or working toward a goal.
Patience for the slow, steady, and beautifully continual process of growing.
I’ve always dreamed of seeing the Redwoods — those towering symbols of endurance and grace. I imagine walking among them, looking up through branches that have witnessed hundreds of years of change, and feeling both small and infinite at once. Maybe that’s part of what trees teach us: that strength and patience grow quietly, one season at a time.
An Invitation
Next time you pass by a tree, pause. Notice its quiet presence — the slow, steady process of change. Growth takes time, and change is part of life.
But like the trees, we are rooted. We can adapt. We are capable of becoming more than we can see right now.
Let the trees remind you that growth often begins unseen, patience is a strength, and change, though sometimes difficult, is always part of the story of becoming you.
Patience isn’t waiting passively; it’s trusting the process of growth.
Be kind.
How do you tend to respond to change?
What might it look like to bend like a tree instead of resist? Let me know what you think. I’m always open to meaningful conversation.