Spiritual Things Matter

Sacredness brings a gentle transformation as our roots go ever deeper into its rich and fertile soil. ~Viola M. Jaynes

Hurricane Ike left a great path of destruction. One of the things that I have found so astounding are the huge trees that have been pulled out of the ground by their entire root-system. To my amazement many of those trees only had about a five to seven inch root system supporting an entire tree. As I inquired about this, I was told that the roots do not go past the clay and therefore, the roots expand outward but do not go deep. I was utterly amazed that these huge trees we have in our town here are really only supported by very shallow roots.

Of course, my readers know me well by now. How could I not immediately see a parallel into our own lives with a lesson given to us so generously by nature. I think of a long ago friend who told me once that he has always had his way in life. Everything he has ever wanted, no matter what it was, seemed to fall right in line with his desires. Yet, this same person struggled immensely with dealing with everyday life. The smallest troubles that came his way seem to collapse him into a state of total helplessness. Alcohol seemed to give him some relief, and his many visits to his psychiatrist seemed to only prop him up temporarily.

Another person once told me that she lived in a home that was much like the TV series ,”Leave it to Beaver.” In her description, her childhood was perfect. This same young woman also told me that she felt it was this perfect environment that has brought her the most challenges trying to function as an adult. I was puzzled over her story and pondered over it for sometime.

I do not necessarily believe that people must suffer in order for them to become a strong human being, although, suffering does tend to burn away the harder outer crust of our hearts, which allows a gift of compassion to surface as suffering has pierced deeply into the essence of our being.

But what then, I wonder, is it that makes some people have a solid foundation and a strong and resilient nature? The answer perhaps is different for every individual. Much, of course, is traced back to infancy and early childhood experiences, and much is discussed about the home life people experienced. Many lived in a less than perfect or ideal home, and yet, so many of these same people go on and live relatively emotionally and mentally stable lives, while others, seemingly struggle constantly.

If one has grown up with good parents, a good stable home, or, if one was tossed back and forth with every whim that the adult in their lives had at the time, I am convinced of one sure thing which will bring deep roots into a persons life:

Learning to honor sacredness.

Honoring sacredness in our lives creates roots that will go deep. Those roots will stay deep and perhaps go deeper each time a strong wind comes along. Those roots will be supportive and will never disappoint because it reaches far beyond the the surface of our being.

Sacredness brings a gentle transformation of old and mundane ways of looking at life, to a creative realization of the possibilities that each event which has touched our lives can be a beautiful tapestry of possibilities working for our good. Thus, sacredness is a very tender and gentle anchor into our very soul.

Because of hurricane Ike, I have gained a literal mental picture in my mind of how it looks when a very large, seemingly strong tree has fallen because of shallow roots. May we find a place of quietness within our own hearts to ever deepen our soul into the rich and generous fertile ground of sacredness. May we find peace and strength at all times, and may we never be frightened when the winds and storms of life do come.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. ~Mohandas Gandhi

My heart goes out to all those who have lost so much and are now trying to put the pieces of their lives back together following Hurricane Ike. We now have our power back, but many in the greater Houston area and Galveston, as well as its surrounding areas, still do not. Only now have we been able to really see the devastation caused by Ike.

I live in The Woodlands, Texas, which is about 75 miles north of Galveston. Hurricane Ike did quite a bit of damage in our area even though we are more inland. Our house was not hit by a tree, which was a major concern since we have four large trees in our back yard of which two are huge Pine trees. We also have a large Sweet Gum tree in our front yard which gave me some concern since it is only a few feet from our house. The only thing we lost was our back fence, and some minor damage to our side garden. Neither of which will be difficult to remedy.

We had neighbors that lost so much. One house had five trees that fell on top of it, and the house is beyond repair. Another house, where a woman and daughter decided to sleep in a front room to be more safe, had a tree fall directly into that room. Neither were hurt, but the shock must have been enormous. Trees came down on boats and vehicles. One neighbor just finished remodeling her kitchen when a huge tree fell through the roof and damaged both the kitchen and living room. We saw one house after another damaged, and realized that so many homes were hit with these enormous trees we have in our area. Nature has shown her strength to us, and I am deeply humbled by it.

I was immensely touched and impressed that so many people were in high spirits following the storm. Everyone, including the ones who lost so much, were thankful for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. I saw one sign that read, “Landscaped by Ike,” and another sign that humorously read, “Yard of the Month.” I smiled when I read them because I realized that people somehow kept their sense of humor in the midst of all the destruction and tears. I spoke with many of my neighbors, and most were thankful because they knew it could have been so much worse. Some were not so fortunate. The pain of losing a life is immense. The pain of many who lost literally everything they own is devastating. This will take time to heal and, it will take time to restore things to normal once again.

For years as we walked through the neighborhood streets, I would comment to my husband that I could never understand where all the people are. No one ever was outside. We rarely ever saw people walking along the streets or working in their yards. The shades were always pulled down, and even those who were homemakers or home-schooled their children were nowhere to be seen. This hurricane, as deadly as it was, changed some of that. Our streets and neighborhood came together as we helped each other out. After living in this neighborhood for eleven years, and our current street for six years, I have come to better know our neighbors for the first time. My husband jokingly commented seeing some neighbors down the street for the very first time ever! I realized once again that our post-modern society has truly lost so much. Consumerism has stolen our souls and our connection to each other. I can only pray that the friendships that have been formed and the comradeship that has been fostered among people working together following this hurricane will grow into lasting relationships. My heart is filled with gratitude to have seen the hearts of people as they worked alongside one another, and lifted each other up.

Please pray for all those that need our prayers. Be generous with your prayers since there are many needs to be addressed.

“If you elevate the world around you, then you elevate yourself.” ~Sigmund, Carl and Alfred

Thank you to all my blogger friends whom I have come to cherish, and thank you to all our other friends and family that have prayed for us. I am thankful for each one of you!

Hurricane Ike is coming closer and closer. I took this photo this evening and I can’t express enough how absolutely beautiful and yet strangely surreal it was outside. The sound of the wind and the beauty of the sky was truly remarkable…as well as humbling. I know what is coming. It makes the beauty that I have seen tonight all the more aweinspiring - for often, it seems to be the way life works. After beauty comes the withering away, only for something just as beautiful to blossom once again.

Please keep us in your prayers. We have prepared as best as we can. We are very concerned about the many tall trees we have here in The Woodlands, Texas and we are all sleeping downstairs tonight in an area of the house that we feel will be the safest.

We are about 75 miles north of Galveston and, as I am typing this, I hear the storm getting much louder outside. I stepped out for a moment and I could barely shut the door. It will be a long night and I am hoping my children will be able to sleep through it.