Talking Trees

A friend once told my mom and me that she could hear the trees moaning as they were being chopped down.  Until that time, I hadn't thought about emotions and trees in the same breath, but here was a respected friend and naturalist telling us about her intimate communication with trees.  Someone at church recently read a Native American writing about how much we could learn by listening to the trees as they talk.  So, although Larry was inclined to spend his Sunday afternoon on the couch, I urged him to go out into the woods with me to see if we could hear the trees.  I'm sure he thought I was crazy, but he agreed to take the walk and let me do the listening.  Admittedly, I don't know what the trees were saying, but I did find myself paying greater attention to them, the rustle of their leaves, the way the wind blew around and over them. And I soaked up the moment, silent and attentive to all around me.  The trees were perhaps talking to me that day and even though I wasn't catching the message, I at least was starting to listen to them.