Hi, so glad you dropped by, it’s lovely to have you here for our time together.
Have you got your favorite beverage & delicious treat ready?
Are you in a comfy spot to relax, linger & reflect awhile? Good!
Maple tea is my choice today, my daughter bought it back as a gift from a recent trip to Canada.
I love baking muffins, so my treat for our time together is a Cinnamon & Pecan muffin, these are particularly delicious slightly warmed with a smidgen of nut butter.
The tea is a black Ceylon tea, flavoured with syrup derived from the sap of the Maple tree.
As I sip, munch & reflect, I am enjoying the unusual taste of sweet spice, nut earthiness & the aromas of the muffin & tea together. Mmmm, delightful!
I think trees are wonderful things!
They give us so much, I enjoy watching the movement of the wind upon their foliage & I particularly like the fruit, flowers & edible delights they produce, like maple syrup & cinnamon!
Our backyard, has the most majestical Jacaranda tree, which covers our entire backyard with its canopy, of cool shade in our very hot Aussie summers.
Then dropping its leaves during the cold winter months allowing the sun to give us a warm place to sit in the sunshine.
In late spring it then comes alive with brilliant lilac flowers, slowly dropping them to the ground creating a lilac & green carpet upon the lawn! Simply, breathtaking!
Trees have been created to gradually grow…
Strong trunks, boughs & branches from seed, producing leaves, flowers & fruit.
Their roots growing in the invisible depths below to balance what is visible above.
Most trees have a main tap root to anchor it within the soil, while feeder roots branch out within the ground creating a network of supporting roots to balance & provide nutrition for the tree’s canopy above.
The greatest test comes when the storms & extreme weather strike, as to how these supports help the tree to stand strong!
This Jacaranda, has been hit by some particularly severe storms, which has cruelly buffeted it, slamming it’s beautiful branches, leaves & flowers from side to side, pelting it with torrential rain & large hail stones.
It lost a few branches & many of its leaves & flowers, during those storms, but it held its ground.
Its resilience in being solidly anchored firstly by its tap root then by its well nourished network roots, held fast.
Storms come to us all, its a part of life
How we weather those storms depends on how our roots are being continually nourished & what we have allowed our tap root to be anchored into.
We need to ask ourselves, are we continually nourishing ourselves with what is good for us or is it actually poisonous & toxic?
What have we allowed our tap root, our precious souls to be anchored into?
My network of roots are in many areas which continually nourish me in body, mind & spirit; in healthy relationships, in interests that give joy & delight, in the little everyday choices I make, in meditating & reflecting on the anchor of my soul.
The Creator of the universe, whose nourishment has helped me to stand against the severest of storms in the loss of two of my children & then my late husband to brain cancer…shared in Emotional processes… & Home sweet home
I may have lost some branches, leaves & flowers during the storms, but they have been replaced with new blossoms to bloom.
What are you nourishing your soul with dear friend?
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or
In Prayer
© 2018, Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo on Pexels.com
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Dear Jennifer. What an inspiring post, and congrats, your post will be featured Monday at SSPS 329 https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
Thank you Esme, that is an honour! 😊
Jennifer, your analogy resonates. Jesus said we’d have tribulation, but in Him we can have peace. Your resilance is a testimony to your tap root being rooted in Him.
Thank you Debbie for your kind words of encouragement. ☺️
Your post encouraged me once again 🙂 “How we weather those storms depends on how our roots are being continually nourished & what we have allowed our tap root to be anchored into.” May our roots be nourished daily and anchor us deeply in God’s Word.
I’m so glad you found encouragement here Joanne. ☺️
Your muffins sound incredible! That is such a beautiful blooming tree. We’ve actually had a lot of trees falling this past year. It was an unusually rainy year and many root systems gave way. While I hate seeing the trees down it’s so neat to see just how far those roots often extend.
Thank you Joanne! I’m always saddened to see beautiful old trees fallen but such is the cycle of life.
I enjoyed your post on your Chicken casserole, so simple & yet looks & sounds delicious! I always have trouble commenting on your blog for some unnown reason 🤔
Such a lovely post. The tree and the analogies are so beautiful. I am stopping by from Senior Salong Pit Stop today. The tea and muffin sound delicious. Have a great day!
Thank you, it’s lovely to have you drop by today 😊
Beautiful tree and beautiful words! I have been thinking about roots lately so I was blessed in reading your thoughts. And … I have a beautiful tin of maple tea also brought back from Canada and will surely enjoy a cup today 🙂
Thank you Joanne & I’m sure you will enjoy your maple tea 😀
Beautiful post Jennifer! And such a BEAUTIFUL tree!
I love trees too! I get them from my mom. 🙂
Thank you so much for encouraging us to make sure that our roots are anchored in Christ so that we can buffet the storms when they come knowing that our faith will be strengthened.
Blessings,
You’re welcome Karen, how lovely you can get trees from your Mom.
This year the Jacaranda is so healthy & still has flowers way after its blossom season 😀 a lesson we can glean from 😉
Jennifer, beautiful post. A few years ago, we had a hail storm come through that destroyed everything—from tile roofs and cars to shattered windows and much more. I was saddened to see the damage, and we had to go through repairs. What I did notice was how the trees made a full recovery, even after having branches broken, split in half, and leaves destroyed. They made a full recovery and even produced new, beautiful leaves. Trees are amazing. God has seen me through many storms and has helped me blossom and grow deeper in faith. It’s truly beautiful to see how we can blossom again even through the roughest storms. Thank you for sharing at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party. ♡
Thank you Stephanie ☺️. I love the illustration you use, yes the resilience that God has designed in all of His Creation never ceases to amaze me. Even in us!