I am fortunate enough to live on five acres outside of town where we have lovely woods in front of our home filled with pine, birch, poplar and cottonwood trees.  During the recent snow and ice that weighed down everything in nature, we had some losses in our little forest.  When I went for a stroll, I was shocked to find at least 15-20 tree tops from my pines littering the ground.  Because the heavy weather came from the east, the typically sheltered part of the woods were exposed.  It was sad to see the trunks with jagged edges and wonder if they will be able to recover from the shock.

  

It put me in mind of the upcoming season of Lent.  We are the forest of the faith community stretching toward heaven above and providing support for each other.  Sometimes outside forces can weigh us down from where we don't expect it.  Do we bend and carry the weight until it can dissolve with the help of the sun (son)?  Do we lean on each other to help redistribute the weight?  Do we break under the weight and expose those jagged edges in the hopes of regrowing?  

This Lenten season, I will be looking upward to my God in Heaven but also looking around to my fellow companions in the woods.  To be a part of providing support for the weighted down and heavily burdened.  To help those who break and need extra loving care to regrow.   To ensure that we have a healthy, living "forest" community of faith to grow and spread in the world.