For a couple of hours this week I clipped ferns and bramble bushes, pulled and broke old sticks. I was on my own, tiding up one tiny area of the forest on our new trail. There was one amazing moment when I realized I was uncovering the base of an old growth Douglas Fir. It’s big. My arm span reaches about half-way around her trunk. She soars high into the sky. Her bottom (I imagine there is a technical term for the base of a tree but I don’t’ know it), the part that spreads out as her roots sink into the ground, was covered in forest debris. I cleared it away revealing a delightful little trailing plant and some moss as a ground cover beneath her height and width. Ah…. It felt like a wonderful addition to our trail. I can’t move boulders like some, but I can tidy the forest in a few small areas.

We’ve been in COVID awareness land for a year now. In BC we began constraints and lockdowns March 2020. Of course, most of us thought it was just for a little while, but we’ve lived with the constraints, limited social circles, hand sanitizers and masks for a year. I’ve begun to wonder what I’ve learnt through this first year of the COVID invasion.

I feel like that wonderful fir tree! This year a lot has been removed from my life and I’m left more aware of grounds me. Family is important, that small circle of folk I’m given to be with in this life. Who are they? What makes them happy? What makes them sad? What do they value? Do I really know them? Friendships are important, that chosen circle of people, some who move through life with me, some who appear and disappear, especially those who are on a spiritual journey of their own. How do they see the world? What do they value? How have they lived during COVID Year 1? And then spiritual growth. Nothing is more important to me than growing spiritually, becoming more aware of God’s moment-by-moment presence within and around me. This year removing some of the activities of my days has allowed me to focus more intently on my prayer life. and that feels good. I hope I’m standing tall like my fir tree. I hope my branches provide shelter to those around me and my roots nourish other like-souled trees.

What has COVID Year 1 been like for you? What have you begun to value more deeply? How have the constraints of the year spoken to you? What has been revealed to you? What is the base, the ground cover of your life?

Love and prayers

Anne

Mystic in Motion

Companion on the Way with Contemplative Fire

Contemplative Fire, Canada, Founder

Society Member with Shalem Institute for Contemplative Living

Companion on The Rivendell Way