Wait Until July
Wyoming winters can be harsh and cruel to trees. Some of the trees around our ranch died a few years after we moved here in 2009 following a bitterly cold winter. It was sad to cut them down. This year, with the temperatures going up and down all winter from -30 degrees up to 60 degrees, it appeared we had lost 12 of our long-needle pine trees. Most of the trees were completely brown and looked dead. I thought we would have to cut all 12 of them down, which would be a great loss.
In April, my husband discussed our tree problem with one of our friends who is a tree specialist and a lumber jack. His advice was simple: “Wait until July.”
I thought that was strange advice. If a tree is dead, it’s dead. Right?
As I took my morning walk each day this spring, I watched our other trees begin to bud. Day after day all these trees gradually changed until they were full of beautiful green leaves blowing in the wind. It was an amazing sight to witness the miracle of Mother Nature once again. The long-needle pine trees stayed brown. No sign of life.
However, by the end of June, I noticed some green pine needles beginning to appear on each of these “dead” trees. I was shocked. Our friend was right. “Wait until July.”
I’m glad I waited till July and didn’t give up on my trees. It reminded me of a poem I wrote in 1978 after moving to a home in Sepulveda, California in the wintertime and thinking all the trees in our backyard were dead.
In Wintertime
I sometimes see
a wrinkled tree
in winter-time
and think that
It is dead.
Then in spring,
I notice that
it is shooting
forth green bunches
of flowering leaves.
“Why it’s not
dead at all!”
I exclaim exultantly,
suddenly realizing new
life still exists.
I sometimes look
at people now,
wondering to myself
what growth is
hibernating within them,
Knowing that through
the lighting of
one divine spark,
budding potential blooms,
exploding in brilliance.
How great to
not be deceived
in wintertime
by somber brownness
of outward frames.
***
I sometimes look
at myself now
wondering what growth
is hibernating within
me…
I’m glad I waited till a metaphorical “July” arrived and didn’t give up on myself when I was in the depths of despair at different points in my life and felt I could never make any progress. As we “wait until July,” we must turn to our Savior, Jesus Christ to strengthen us while we wait. Waiting is never easy, but just as I kept walking past my brown long-needle pines trees wondering if they would ever turn green again, we must learn to trust in God. My favorite scripture is:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
I memorized this scripture as a young teenager, and I have also tried to help my children and grandchildren to memorize it. I know these words are true principles for living a peaceful, happy life. We must remember the love that our Heavenly Father and Savior have for us as we go through the “good times and the bad” in our mortal journey on earth.
“ I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. ”
Yes, our Heavenly Father and Savior know us by name. They care about our worries, fears, anxieties, problems, and concerns. The scriptures proclaim Their promises to always be there for us and for our loved ones.
We can’t give up on ourselves.
We can’t give up on others.
We must always “wait until July” arrives.
It always will.