THOUGHTS

May 15, 2020

A revised reprint from May, 2014

Green's my favorite.  Have you ever been on a road trip where you could see a meandering green ribbon of trees amidst a sea of brown fields?  It signifies the presence of a stream of life-giving water where the trees have put their roots down deep, which puts me in mind of one of my favorites, Psalm 1.

"Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, 

 Nor standeth in the way of the sinners, 

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, 

And in His law doth he meditate day and night. 

And he will be like a tree firmly planteth by the streams of water, 

Which yields its fruit in its season,

And its leaf does not wither;

And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

But the wicked are not so,

But are like the chaff which the wind drives away..."

We will be sifted like in times of old 

when the harvesters would toss the grain in the basket 

and let the wind lift the chaff up and away

while the heavier kernels of grain would fall

back down into the winnowing basket.

My life has been refreshed by streams of water where shaded trees dug their toes down by the rivers and creeks.  So many happy summer memories of rivers.  Do you know the utter delight of cherries picked to your heart's content while wandering barefoot through an orchard on the way to a special swimming hole on a Santa Cruz river? Aunt Dolly paid the fruit farmer a flat rate for our pickings so we could indulge freely with cherry juice dripping down our chins.  Warm sandy beaches led to cool refreshing river water beckoning us to take the plunge.  Tall trees born of  roots that dug deep offered shade as they grew to enormous heights around us like a sanctuary.

The Trinity River offered such pleasure.  Then there was Whistlers Bend in Oregon with tadpoles and crawdads a plenty reminding me of childhood fun in the Midwest, but now being able to share such experiences with our own children.  Jedediah Smith River, the cleanest river in California, brought many family adventures as well.  Colorado's Henson Creek's freezing cold water could not deter us from splashing there or fishing for trout.  Now we have lived by the Yuba River for years giving my kids enjoyment many times whether swimming, or tubing or fishing as they grew up.  These are but a few places where trees and water played with us.

Go green.  Let your roots go down deep in the living water bringing forth fruit in its season.  Don't be rootless as a tumbleweed.  They blow away while we stay rooted and grounded in love, gorging on juicy fruit.   Come to the water.