Hope In The Dark

As I reflect back on my time in Michigan with my oldest son to visit his future college, I recognize how often I felt the pings of self judgement converting into "nothing was good enough".  Does this ever happen to you?    We all have these expectations for certain events, milestones and moments where we assume that life should go a certain way. And when it doesn't, we judge ourselves!   The more we practice this, the more we sometimes feel STUCK in it.   And after sitting with these feelings and taking a walk around my son's future campus, I noticed by a tree. And this tree had been through HELL.   But while it was missing 2/3 of a trunk and had clearly been hit by lighting, it still played host to beautiful, vibrant leaves and light, providing shade and a home for nearby nature.   Oh, and did I mention that this tree was 350 YEARS old? How much has it seen in its lifetime?   Through those three and a half centuries, this tree was missing NOTHING. It was beautiful and wiser than ever. That tree was able to w