We have this enormous white birch tree on our hill leading to our pond/wetland (better known as the frogs’ home!). I really never appreciated this particular species of tree until I started watching this particular one live from year to year. Its absence of color makes it the most spectacular portrait! It stands out against all the other colors that are shown by nature changing over the seasons. I have learned how delicate it can be and how strong it can be. I have seen it nourish other living things, and I have seen it give life through seeds and roots. There is one thing for sure, it is always there—constant and steady. This beautiful tree reminds me of some of the people in my life that have been constant and steady. People I could and can always seek for strength, encouragement, and love. So if you have not—go and hug your tree today! “The Ghost” that breaths wind into your life and allows the colors in your world to burst forth!

 The Ghost

The background is blue.

A blue that is bright and light.

The white skin pops against the blue canvas.

The white, pasty arms show the signs of growing and living.

 

The cracky flakes display the effects of the wind and the water and the sun.

The sounds of the ghost are soft,

But constant as the winds swiftly move by.

In the dark the ghost makes it sound as a whisper in the air or the blow of a kiss.

 

Against the dark, grey sky, the figure fades into the grey wash.

Then within a season of change,

The once obscure figure pounces forward with multiple greens.

The ghost feels a burst of revival as it displays one shade of green after another.

 

Birds find a home within its arms,

And insects discover their haven within its body.

As the ghost grows, the greens turn to gold, brown, and orange against a crisp cloud in the sky.

The gold, bronze, and orange drop to unveil the naked beauty beneath.

 

Another moment has past,

And another year has gone.

And the Ghost continues to breath the wind,

And paint the sky with its life and soul.

 Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

 Thank you so much for joining me this week. I feel so honored that you take your time to visit with me and are willing to listen to my words. I hope your life is brighter and lifted by reading.

I miss you- Em and Mama Hick (but you are forever with me). Thank you Danny, Jim, Lis, Lori Lynn, Cam, and Seth. Thanks to all of you for being my “Ghosts”!

Love,

Rennae

Blessings