Same Tree, Different Leaves.

Right through this Autumn I’ve been singing this old Paul Simon song:

Time hurries on
And the leaves that are green turn to brown
And they wither with the wind
And they crumble in your hand

The horse chestnut tree outside our front window has now shed all of its leaves. Other trees have leaves that hang on. Horse chestnut leaves are always the first to go. Sticky buds have formed; next year new leaves will grow…

Same tree, different leaves

Each year the John Lewis Christmas advert is eagerly awaited.

Their 2022 advert tells the story of a middle-aged man struggling painfully on a skateboard. He perseveres. It concludes with a social worker arriving at his door with young teenager Ellie, who has arrived at her new foster home carrying her skateboard.

The advert raises awareness of children in care and foster carers; it recognises the importance of kindness and relationships. It’s a warm, moving advert that brings a poignant message…

Same store, different advert

For many years I knew the Judy Garland’s ‘Over the Rainbow’… through Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Driving to work one day, on the radio, I heard Eva Cassidy’s version. A few days later I heard it again. Dorothy was still following her dream over the rainbow but the song took on fresh meaning.

Then I heard Eva Cassidy’s story – of a painfully shy, complex 33 year old dying of cancer and her message of hope through her vulnerability…

Same song, different meaning

This morning I’m musing that much stays the same – the trees in our garden, the need for kindness and hope. However the situations in which we discover life’s priorities and meaning are constantly changing.  

I return to Dorothy’s Oz… Today I’m seeking to rediscover the scarecrow’s brain and intellectual competence, the tinman’s heart of compassion, and the lion’s strength and courage… Renewal of mind, emotions and spirit in a changing world… with my God’s help…

Same faith, different day