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The Old Oak Tree

oneoaktaber

The Oak Tree - By Johnny Ray Ryder Jr

A mighty wind blew night and day.

It stole the Oak Tree’s leaves away.

Then snapped its boughs

and pulled its bark

until the Oak was tired and stark.

But still the Oak Tree held its ground

while other trees fell all around.

The weary wind gave up and spoke,

How can you still be standing Oak?”

The Oak Tree said, I know that you

can break each branch of mine in two,

carry every leaf away,

shake my limbs and make me sway.

But I have roots stretched in the earth,

growing stronger since my birth.

You’ll never touch them, for you see

they are the deepest part of me.

Until today, I wasn’t sure

of just how much I could endure.

But now I’ve found with thanks to you,

I’m stronger than I ever knew.



My Grannie and I shared a love for the poem The Oak Tree. I'm unsure who shared it first, but it remained in our orbit. The image of the oak tree stayed with me during the birth of my children and the sentiment has been etched into my heart from the beginning: resilience.


The poem doesn't suggest that we have to be strong all the time. It suggests radical acceptance. Acceptance of what is. When the wind comes, the oak doesn't try to dodge it. It relies on its own roots to keep it grounded. So what are your roots? Who keeps you grounded? When the wind blows, and the branches snap, what is it that keeps you firmly planted in this beautiful earth? When was the last time you recognized your own strength?


From one oak to another,


Amy

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grounded:  to be humbly rooted while we grow

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