You are Strong

This tree speaks one word in my imagination each day as I pass - strength. This massive oak seems solid and unmovable, the branches rising and spreading out across the entire front yard of the home. It seems to me a mountain, a sign of permanence in a world that changes so very quickly. I find that as these pandemic days continue to add up, I look forward to making the turn that leads me to this tree. I need to find in my life what it represents through its own life.

“Be strong”. “Stay strong”. Words that are easy to say, yet difficult to achieve at times along our journey. We can find strength in many places. To believe in a loving God who is with us, especially in our struggles, can provide great strength. The legacy within us of women and men who lived strong lives before us as we grew into our own lives can inspire when times are difficult. We may find strength in the faces of those who look to us for strength of their own. And, sometimes, strength arrives as a gift in such a way that we are as surprised as anyone else when the dust settles and we are still standing.

You are strong. Remember that strength is one of those characteristics that we so often are unable to see in ourselves as clearly and readily as we see it in another. Remember that we are not alone, we find strength in our relationships as we navigate difficult times. Remember that after all your life has seen, you are still standing, reading these feeble words. You are strong.

Peace.