The Tree by the Story Teller

 Feb 20, 2017, The Tree

My heart doctor encouraged me to take up walking, but it was really my bath scale that motivated me to start. Not to overdo a good thing, I established a fixed course. One good trip around the boundaries of Wesley (my church) seemed about right. Monday through Thursday (Friday was my day off) I would walk out the front door of the church, through the parking lot, down the alley, up High street, into the alley across the way, down that alley, and then back to the front door of the church. I didn’t walk fast and I tried to stay open to seeing everything. Examining the church grounds, the buildings, greeting the neighbor’s dogs, and picking up trash were all part of this silent walk.

At Wesley, the pastor’s office has a huge window looking out at the courtyard and for over two years I had looked out that window a lot. The sidewalk in front of the courtyard, while not part of the morning walk, had felt the soles of my shoes hundreds of times. The courtyard itself was ground zero for our full blown Easter Egg hunts. I knew this courtyard like the back of my hand.

It is in the spring of my third year, I look out my office window into the courtyard and am stunned. For the first time I realized that just 20 yards from my window there is a tree I had never noticed. It is a fairly large tree. I only notice it this day because it is covered in beautiful white flowers. I am so shocked to discover the existence of this tree outside my window, I actually call others in to look at it.

Huge life lesson – seeing and noticing are two different things.

Moral – To see is important, to notice is a gift.