Connection

I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to write this post, and I've finally found it. Sometimes people don't fully realize the impact they make on others... because how do you measure the ripple effects of inspiration? Yesterday, I saw the Angel Oak for the first time. It's at least 1,500 years old.

angel oak

In order to take the picture, I had to keep backing up. Back, back, back... then I tripped over this:

And I still didn't get the whole tree in frame. Needless to say, the Angel Oak is really huge. Majestic is more like it.

When I was in high school, I took an honors English class my junior and senior years, and I was fortunate to have the same teacher two years in a row. Our very first assignment: Go home and hug a  tree. The word spread quickly. We lived in a small, conservative town where people just didn't going around hugging trees. What on earth was this woman teaching? The skeptics wanted to know.

I embraced the assignment (and the tree) and documented the experience in my writing journal-- part two of the assignment. I wrapped my arms around the sturdy trunk outside my house and instantly felt the connection. I felt the energy, the life. It made me feel... happy.

We wrote a lot in that class. During those two years, I learned to make the connection between my thoughts, feelings and life experiences. As I wrote by hand (which is still the best way to do it, in my humble opinion) I connected with something bigger than myself. The higher power that guides my life today.

Once you establish a connection... it's easy to recognize when it's there. And when it isn't. You can't force it. But you can remain open and trust that what you are seeking you will find. You can trust that it will find you.

So, hey Jude, this one's for you. Thanks for being my teacher so many years ago. Thanks for continuing to be my friend today. You planted a seed, and just like the Angel Oak, it continues to grow.