This past weekend, I had the opportunity to wander in one of my favorite places – the apple orchard on our family property in Mackinaw City. The orchard is over 100 years old. As a child, I used to like to imagine that johnny Appleseed himself had planted it!
The sight of this tree reminded me that it was just a year ago that as I snapped a picture in this orchard I was inspired to write my first “Wandering and Wondering.” In that reflection I noted that paying attention to something can be an act of devotion in and of itself. No doubt, the Creator who so lovingly crafted the world around us is quite pleased when we pause to take delight in one of those creations.
The trees in the orchard are loaded with apples this year. Look at this tree. Isn’t it amazing?! The trunk is completely hollowed out. The branches that remain all come out of the far side of that trunk. If you were to see it in the winter, you might easily make the assumption that it no longer has anything to offer. Matthew might say cut it down and throw it into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
The tree really has no business being this prolific — and yet here we are! This tree leaves me wondering…how do you do it? How do you still produce so many beautiful apples? And it also leaves me “wondering” in the sense of being filled with wonder. You are doing it! You are still producing apples!
Two things that bring me joy are photography and writing. Thank you for joining me on this weekly journey as we pay devoted attention together to God’s world around us.
Praise be to the Creator of the Universe who has given all of us animals who feast on apples the gift of this feast! Praise be to the Creator of the Universe who raises up the weak and lowly, the very young and the very old, the unlikely and over-looked to bring beauty and goodness to this world!
+Bishop Julie