There’s a birch tree which stands along the path behind our home.

Year after year, I’ve watched her grow – through hurricanes and blizzards and devastating ice storms. Yet still, she persevered – oddly stronger than before.

And, with each new season her stiffened bark would break and curl revealing a tenderness within. How ironic – that this ‘cloak’ which once confined had sheared to paper thin.

I thought of myself in the context of her lesson. Are we not much the same? That is to say, even when greatly weathered – our tenderness remains, unchanged.

Though we may fear losing the subtlety of its essence, it’s important to remember-

That which we ‘are’ can never be forsaken. Rather, we are – much like the birch – transformed.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️