“When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks, and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out,

“Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,”
they say, “and you, too, have come
into the world to do this, to go easy,
to be filled with light, and to shine.”

A morning musing from Mary Oliver’s, “When I Am Among Trees.”

It is certainly a poem dearest to my heart; one which so eloquently describes the energy of my trees. And, reminding me to go slowly, to breathe deeply…to stay awhile.

“They give off such hints of gladness.”

Oh, my goodness – my darlings, and then some.

For within even the most barren of branches lies an unmistakable assurance that we are loved.

That, we too, are here to shine.