Leaf Of Faith

Leaf Of Faith 

By John R. Greenwood

Life has this funny way of making you believe it cares. It lulls you into a sense of security by handing you things on a silver platter and then when your mind is at ease and your feet are up on the coffee table Life hides the remote. All of a sudden you have to get off your cushion and do something.  That scenario has repeated itself on me for years. Life has teased me, tortured me, and treated me on and off so many times you begin to sense a pattern. Like the seasons, Life brings sunshine and sunburns, Frosty and frostbite, spring fever and hay fever. It's ability to run you ragged is what makes Life so complicated. As I headed out for a Sunday morning wrestle with my 100 year-old maple's deposit I found myself searching for something to restart my engine. Since photographs are a large part of this blog, and finding ways to keep my Baby Sony fulfilled are crucial to the survival of us both, I finally grew up and bought a new tripod. I felt it might give me more street-cred if I had one behind the seat of my pickup. I thought it would be fun to try and find a creative way to use it on this cool October morning so I unfolded it, grabbed a rake, set the timer, and began clicking away at the grasp Life had on me. The title, "Leaf Of Faith" came to me as the photo session progressed. My maple imitates Life. He has some age on him; some wear and tear. Weak limbs, sagging branches, and a scarred exterior are witness to his longevity and survival skills. He has good days and bad days. Generally he stands tall and proud but on those days when the snow is packed high around his trunk and his guardian is blowing it even higher he takes a deep breath and begins to count. He knows spring will arrive soon and fresh buds will supply a fresh outlook. Songbirds will flitter amongst his newness and Life will flourish once again. It's that Leaf Of Faith we must all embrace if we truly expect happiness to remain in our lives. Regardless of how deep the snow may get, looking forward to what follows is the key. If we stop caring, if we stop wondering, if we stop yearning for that next season we are doomed. On this particular Sunday morning in October I felt Life was reaching out to me. A pile of watercolored leaves was not a chore today, it was a pleasure. For the moment anyway, Life dumped a gift in my driveway, smiled and drove away. As Life idled up the road I saw the window roll down and out flew the remote. Life in all it's wisdom knows how to keep you guessing--how to keep you moving forward. 

Things can fall apart, or threaten to, for many reasons, and then there's got to be a leap of faith. Ultimately, when you're at the edge, you have to go forward or backward; if you go forward, you have to jump together.

Yo-Yo Ma