Like the Trees

A few weeks ago, I went to visit a friend working out at Custer State Park. We would enjoy the morning together. She would go to work while I explored the park. Then we would have the evening to resume conversation. 

One day before she went to work, she told me I should hike the Lover's Leap Trail. "Do you remember the wildfires out here last summer? You can see the damage on that trail. The fire got to that area of the park."

She went to work. I took a nap. I read in my hammock. I wrote by the water. In the late afternoon, I finally approached the trail.

I used to hate hiking. It tends to bring out my desire to quit. The trail is a place where I work out some junk. There are no distractions - only your mind and silence. I began the climb. 

I saw the trees. Burnt. Scarred. Marked for removal. Yet still standing.

There was evident damage. The land told the story of the fire. However, the grass was returning. Growth continued. The land was not forever ruined, and it was beautifully sacred.

As I wandered alone hoping I wasn't veering from the trail, I began to consider, "What if I am like the land?"

What if although there is great damage and pain, I will be restored? 

I am currently in a season of depression. I've been working through grief and pains from the past in counseling for a while, and this last year has tipped the scale. My body is no longer able to cope as it did before. Now I am working to care for my body and mind in depression. 

It can seem nearly hopeless at times. I begin to believe that I am negatively changed and unable to return to my full self. 

But then I remember the trees. Fighting for life. Resisting death by fire. Standing strong. Some even able to regrow.

We can be like the trees. Resilient. Hopeful. Alive. 

Here, I will share my journey through depression with you, not for pity or responses but from the belief that I am not alone. Shared experience makes the challenges of life more bearable. If you are hurting, welcome to this space. If you aren't currently hurting, welcome too. My experience of depression has taught me that I need all of you. 

Will you dare to believe that even in our damaged brokenness, we can be beautifully sacred and begin to regrow?