With ardor I’m an aspiring arborist. I checked synonyms for arborist. “Tree surgeon. Tree worker.” Okay, I’m an arborist. I’ve made many incisions, amputations, split decisions, and trimmed logs down to wood stove capability.

Last week a storm front marched through with wind like sabers felling trees in hodge podge fashion. Along with the power outages, a plethora of mature oaks and what not lay like a battleship game array. Sullen ships strategically set here and there. The tell all was when I hit the ruck trail afterward. Curiosity motivated me to see the chaos left behind.

If a tree falls in a forest…

Sure enough, the path held opportunities for limbo, or basic training. One instance I had to get on my hands and knees. The challenge reminded me of The Band of Brothers series. Especially the obstacles they flat-crawled laced with cow entrails under barbed wire.

The trail elves had not cleared the great trunks yet. This morning the wending path still held a dead-end/no outlet sense. We kept on over and undering it, testing our dexterity again.

There’s a big fat moral in this somewhere. (Maybe even a few Morels) First the storm, then the aftermath. We had fair warning of hardship on the way. We took cover. We knew what hit us. I’m at an age where challenges are more frequent in and around me. It’s probably because I have more awareness and let out a weak groan when getting my giddy-up going.

“…but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.” Quoted by Linus as he quoted Job. (Peanuts/Job 5:7) Job had every right. Read the book. It was more than a storm front, but he remained faithful.

How? Even when his wife told him to curse God and die, he held on. He crawled through. When the pain comes. When losses take our breath away. When health issues ensue. When lightning strikes in more than the literal sense I think of a few short phrases.

But God.

Jesus Wept.

Take Courage.

Pray always.

Do you have any phrases which help you through?

Read chapter 5 of Job for perspective. Why not read the whole book even?