July 19, 2013
1

Stripped and naked was I, following the storm and tornado.                      Recovering Tree

               Surrounding ground scrubbed to dust.

Limbs and leaves torn from my trunk

               Sad and broken my body appeared

This was not the future

               It was the present

AND…

               It matters.

 

Though not as tall as I used to be,

               Neither are the houses on this sacred ground.

Isn’t it curious how the foundations still exist?

               And how my roots are firmly planted

               Stretched but not severed.

A new shape is forged by the horrific storm

               I (we) will never be the same.

 

Gasping at the view, it is difficult to believe

               That any blessings are contained

               Within this time of shock and grief.

 

BUT…

               They are.

 

It may take some time to see this truth

               But they are here, even in this stark chaos of reality,

               Unveiled by the daylight.

 

Time is passing, debris is removed.

The tools and sounds of recovery surround me.

               Like the beating of a heart, the hammer pounds.

The saw’s shrill buzz expresses excitement.

Bulldozers gone, their work complete.

               Plowing and scraping, recovering avenues and space.

Space for new things to happen – new things to grow.

              

I stand firm in this soil that was given,

               My eyes have seen much

               My body was ravaged.

But, still l stand.

               New life is appearing. Fresh foliage is proof!

 

                                                               God is making all things new!

 

Martha Jacobson

Breast Cancer Survivor

Spiritual Ministries Institute Board Member

One thought on “An Offering from Martha: Recovering Tree”

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