Dear Friends of The Trees, 

The oak tree at our entrance is dropping more acorns than we can sweep away.  Have you ever noticed that some years it feels like more acorns are dropping than in other years?  There is a name for this - mast years - those years when oaks drop acorns in massive numbers all at once.  Other years the oaks hold back their supply.  This letting go and holding back helps develop the ecosystems of support that we have here at The Trees.   The sourwood trees and red maples are slowly letting go of chlorophyll and preparing for a season of rest while producing brilliant pigments of red and gold during the time of transition.  Perhaps the next time you are on our property take a moment to slow down and notice all the changes happening in our trees.   

Fall invites us to start the slowing down…to start noticing…to move inward.. In the words of Morgan Harper Nichols, “turn to the sun rising above your head or the leaves of the deciduous trees falling to the ground and think, ‘In the same way there is a rhythm to nature, I have rhythms too?’” ⁽¹⁾ 

It’s really hard to miss the abundant tapestry of color along Pleasant Green Road and the richness of hues hugging our property.  In my very favorite book Sabbath by Wayne Muller, he says “Perhaps the most recognizable quality of creation is this rhythmicity.  The pulsing light and dark, expansion and contraction, the seasons and tides, the cycles of growth and dormancy, of life, death, and regeneration are unmistakable characteristics of all living things, from the smallest microbe to the largest galaxy.”⁽²⁾  

What rhythms are you noticing in nature?  Is there a rhythm that is trying to call out to you as we move into this new season? Perhaps it’s to start a regular Sabbath practice, limit social media intake, start the morning in silence, to “fast” from the news for just a bit, or to walk the woods more regularly in an effort to help calm your nervous system.  Just like trees, we need to notice what may be needed to sustain ourselves for the journey ahead.  Is there a letting go or holding back that would be supportive?  Muller goes on to say, “To surrender to the rhythms of seasons and flowering and dormancies is to savor the secret of life itself.”  That, my friends, is very powerful.  

We have not one, but two, offerings for retreats for rest and internal reflection this month.  In addition, don’t miss our Spread The Trees seed collection event to benefit Project Pando.  This will be an opportunity to move slowly on our trails, notice the change of seasons, and search for seeds to collect and share.  And don’t forget to take a peek at our Advent offerings.  

With Gratitude

Contact Us

Email: Laura at [email protected]

Website: https://stphilipsdurham.org/the-trees/

Address: 1701 Pleasant Green Rd., Durham 27705

The Trees is a community project of St. Philip's Episcopal Church.