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Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
Image 1 of 1
4×5 Giclee Print
Charcoal + Gold Leaf
This piece was born out of one of the darkest seasons of my life, when I encountered a juniper tree, whose story of survival taught me what it means to hold onto hope and move through our struggles well.
When the juniper experiences a shortage of water, it allows half of itself to die so that the other half may live. Because of this, the tree becomes unbalanced, falls over, but then twists itself around so that it can grow strong once again.
The way this tree survives reminds us that no matter how “dead” we may feel inside, it is never over–in the surrender, we find life and hope. Like the tree, we may experience a time in our lives where we feel empty---perhaps dead inside as if God had placed us in an emotional desert without any hope of getting out. I felt this way upon coming across this tree, but it was at that moment that I realized what I had been missing all along. I had constantly searched within myself for some source of strength or happiness, but my self-sufficiency was an illusion. I had to let go and trust something greater than myself who was writing a story I couldn’t write for myself.
The process of surrender is painful and terrifying– what awaits us in the mystery? We may even feel like we are falling in the midst of the surrender, but in the trusting we heal, and like the tree, grow upwards once more toward the sun.
When I first saw that juniper I wanted to end my life, but the juniper reminded me that hard doesn’t mean impossible, and that so much of healing is about surrendering and leaning in rather than avoiding, managing, and trying to change ourselves.
If you are at your rock bottom, I see you. This may feel like the end, but there is so much more waiting for you in this life. May you lean into the mystery of life and find the sun shining upon your face once more.
4×5 Giclee Print
Charcoal + Gold Leaf
This piece was born out of one of the darkest seasons of my life, when I encountered a juniper tree, whose story of survival taught me what it means to hold onto hope and move through our struggles well.
When the juniper experiences a shortage of water, it allows half of itself to die so that the other half may live. Because of this, the tree becomes unbalanced, falls over, but then twists itself around so that it can grow strong once again.
The way this tree survives reminds us that no matter how “dead” we may feel inside, it is never over–in the surrender, we find life and hope. Like the tree, we may experience a time in our lives where we feel empty---perhaps dead inside as if God had placed us in an emotional desert without any hope of getting out. I felt this way upon coming across this tree, but it was at that moment that I realized what I had been missing all along. I had constantly searched within myself for some source of strength or happiness, but my self-sufficiency was an illusion. I had to let go and trust something greater than myself who was writing a story I couldn’t write for myself.
The process of surrender is painful and terrifying– what awaits us in the mystery? We may even feel like we are falling in the midst of the surrender, but in the trusting we heal, and like the tree, grow upwards once more toward the sun.
When I first saw that juniper I wanted to end my life, but the juniper reminded me that hard doesn’t mean impossible, and that so much of healing is about surrendering and leaning in rather than avoiding, managing, and trying to change ourselves.
If you are at your rock bottom, I see you. This may feel like the end, but there is so much more waiting for you in this life. May you lean into the mystery of life and find the sun shining upon your face once more.
