Sappy

January 13, 2014 Photo (013/365): "Once there was a tree..."

As I walked through the woods yesterday, I was discouraged by the lack of obvious beauty. I found little of interest to capture with my camera. However, upon further observation, I noticed the textures and colors of this old tree, its layers of bark and its amber drops of sap. I was suddenly reminded of one of my favorite children's books, Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree.

This old tree seems to have lost much of its energy, having shed its leaves, many branches, and much of its bark. Yet it still remains vital, providing shelter and food for birds and woodland creatures over this particularly harsh winter. Imagine what this tree has given in its time...What have you been given and what will you give in your time?

"...and the tree was happy."

"Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation...even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."

- Leonardo da Vinci