"It doesn't take a lot of strength to hang on...it takes a lot of strength to let go." ~ J.C Watts
'Dheal' is an Australian Indigenous word for 'sacred tree/s'. To some indigenous folk it's a sacred tree used only to mark the graves of the dead.
We have hundreds of trees on our property. Karri, Marri/Redgum, Jarrah, Banksias, Tea Trees, Snottygobbles...a lot. I believe older trees are definitely sacred. They breathe oxygen, after all. They regulate our atmosphere. They are mini ecosystems unto themselves.
We have a couple of older trees on the farm that, from a distance, look perfectly normal, like this one, in the photo above. They are, in fact, quite beautiful. When you get up close, however, you can see that at some point in their past, they were flattened. Knocked down by life - by forces so powerful they had no way to stay up.
So they surrendered and fell.
But they didn't die.
They clung to life and found a way to grow up again, differently. Only now they have a much better hold on the earth. They are mature and well grounded, and life flows through their veins. They provide shade for the horses and homes for birds and other wildlife. Even big storms don't touch them now - they bend but they can't be broken like that, not anymore.
So yeah it's true...sometimes getting knocked flat only makes you stronger. You just have to find a way to hang in there, and grow back. One day at a time. ❤️🙏
