Rooted in love

A big, beautiful tree in front of City Hall was toppled Sunday afternoon when a crazy storm blew through our little town. It was one of several trees that had fallen, and countless broken branches. We even saw a trampoline perched on top of huge tree that was lying across the road. In some regions, storms like this are as common as rain in Oregon, but we don’t typically have wind like that here.

One of our favorite things about our hometown is that it is tucked at the base of some beautiful hills and trails that we’ve been hiking together since our kids were barely able to walk. After the storm we were anxious to get on the trails and see what damage may have been done, assuming there would be dozens of fallen trees and branches blocking the path. To our surprise, after about 4 miles of hiking we only saw one newly fallen tree on the ground. Thousands of trees make up the landscape of those hills and we only saw one tree that fell victim to the storm. It made us wonder why. Why are there so many trees down in town, but these were still standing? I think the answer is community.

In town, the trees stand on their own. You may see one isolated tree in the middle of a manicured lawn or lining the sidewalk. Their roots are often shallow with nothing to hold onto but dirt and grass. In the hills is a much different story. Hundreds of trees have their roots tangled together, embracing each other like family. They guard each other from the wind, holding fast no matter what comes their way. Family. Community. Don’t we all kind of wish we had more of that. Not the petty arguments and rivalry that sometimes define family, but the deep true love that you know will be there for you when the chips are down. I know I want that, and I want to be that for the people in my life. We can’t get that by being isolated. As a card-carrying introvert this can be difficult for me, but it is reality. We were made for community, for family, friendship, and love. I’m going to try to get out of my comfort zone more and get tangled up in relational community. When the winds come, we’ll have a better chance of weathering the storm if we’re holding onto each other.