African Meals
I’m often asked how the food was in Africa. It was very palatable, not spicy at all. Because the Sisters operate farms where they grow their own crops, the food is fresh and free from chemicals. They also raise their own animals.
Breakfast was eggs, cheese, pancakes, yogurt, sausage, peanut butter on bread. Chapati (chewy, flat bread) was at every meal, but regular bread was also available. Usually for lunch and supper, we had rice and shredded cabbage, sometimes with slivers of carrots mixed in. We had all kinds of beans and potatoes, even French fries. What I assumed was mashed potatoes turned out to be white maize (corn). We had soups, like peanut soup. I was introduced to cassava. Meat was often chicken. I found the chicken gizzards tough. Here is a picture of the salads:
Fruit was plentiful: avocados, papayas, passion fruit, apples, pineapple, many bananas, and a lot of watermelon.
The Sisters drank plain hot water or water mixed with a little milk. I had bottled water, instant coffee, or tea.
One morning a Sister asked if I ate fish. I said yes. That night at supper large fish with the heads and tails were served. The fish of the Sister sitting perpendicular to me was smiling at me all during the meal. Considerately, the Sisters had prepared a bowl of the meat for me.
Before meals, the Sisters stood in line to wash their hands at an urn and dry them.
Each morning and afternoon the Sisters enjoyed “tea breaks” with popcorn and other treats.
One evening Sisters from Papua New Guinea made supper according to their culture. Banana leaves served as plates. (But these were set on plates for us.) The food was set on a large blanket on the floor, and we danced around it in colorful skirts, New Guinea style. The food included chicken, greens soaked in coconut milk, and cassava.
The novices run one of the farms. They even work in the slaughterhouse! Here are some of their animals. Their latest addition is a fish pond.
At Karen House, where I gave the retreat, there were seven sheep, including a ram and a lamb. Each Christmas and Easter, a sheep gives its life. The herd replenishes itself.
Here are some of the Sisters’ crops:
Stay tuned. Next week I’ll report on the Sisters.
African Masses
Africans celebrate the Eucharist with enthusiasm. Music is accompanied by instruments, clapping, whistles, and whoops. Although our convent Masses in Africa were normal length, our Sunday Mass at humongous St. Veronica Church lasted two hours because of the many hymns the choir sang and the processions. (At the offertory, people brought up things for the needy, even mops. And ushers did not collect money; instead people walked down the aisles and deposited it in a box at the end of each aisle.) Once after our convent Mass, a priest told me he would be celebrating a three-hour Mass that day!
St. Veronica’s Church is shaped like Noah’s ark. Its facade is covered with religious images.
At the Karen House, the house for students where I gave the retreat, the Sisters often sang in three-part harmony with echoes, accompanied by different drums, a tambourine, and a shaker (a flat, rectangular instrument filled with seeds). I told them that if the Sister responsible for our liturgy in Chardon heard them, she would think she died and went to heaven!
The hymnal contained songs in English and in Swahili. To my pleasant surprise, the song I wrote for St. Julie’s canonization, “Mother Julie lived for the Lord” was among them.
During the hymns, we and the priests clapped (in different rhythms), sometimes dropping our arms at the side. Or we waved our hands from side to side.
The Sister who read usually sang the entire Responsorial Psalm.
The white altar cloth in the chapel in the Delegation House has designs made by pinning. The designs are changed occasionally.
Communion
We sometimes received Communion by intinction. Either the priest placed the sacred hosts and wine at the top of the altar and we dipped the host in the cup ourselves, or the priest dipped the host and we received on the tongue. Otherwise we received the host in our hand or on the tongue.
At St. Veronica Church, our Sister Christine was a Eucharistic minister. Laypeople were not needed to fulfill this role. Those who served in special ways wore a large sash with the title of their role on it.
On the last day of retreat, after Communion a Sister went to the ambo and gave a speech thanking me for leading the retreat.
Adoration
Each day the Sisters had Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for an hour. They sang, prayed out loud and silently, and concluded with the Divine Office. They have the new version of this Church prayerbook.
In front of the sacred host, many Sisters knelt on the floor, bent over, and touched their forehead to the floor. If I had done this, it would have taken two Sisters to help me up!
At the Delegation House, the Sisters did not wear shoes in the chapel. Imagine if at our Province Center we removed our shoes before entering!
Celebrants
At the beginning of the Mass, the priest explained its intentions. After Communion he gave a little talk about who he was and his ministry. One day Bishop Obed was the presider. He had only been consecrated three months earlier. The Sisters called him a baby bishop.
Next week I’ll report on the food I ate in Africa.
Introduction to Visit to Africa
Since I arrived home from three weeks in Eastern Africa, many have asked me about my visit to our Notre Dame Sisters there. In the next several blog posts, I will present highlights and details of my time. For now, here is some basic information:
How long did it take to get there? 2 ½ hours to New York, then 15 hours to Kenya.
What did you do there? I spoke to our ND Associates and then our novices, gave an eight-day retreat to junior and senior professed, and then gave two talks to the junior professed (who make temporary vows). On the last day, I went on a morning safari with two of our Sisters.
How many Sisters are in Africa? 101. There are 31 candidates, some in Tanzania and some in Uganda; 31 postulants in Uganda; 30 novices in Kenya; and 52 junior professed plus 8 tertians.
How did Notre Dames come to be in Africa? The congregation originated in Coesfeld, Germany. German SNDs came to the United States; Sisters from the USA went as missionaries to India; and then Indian Sisters went to Africa as missionaries. So you can say that we US Sisters are the grandmothers of the African Sisters.
In what countries in Africa will you find SNDs? Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.
Were you very hot? Taking a sunhat and suntan lotion was in vain. August is winter in Africa, so most days had a thick cloud cover, making it look as if it would rain any minute, but it never does. It was usually 74°, but it got chilly in the evenings.
Did you get Ebola, malaria, traveler’s diarrhea, or mosquito bites? No! Many people, especially the Sisters I live with, were storming heaven for me. There were no mosquitoes, but the beds had mosquito netting just in case.
How did you prepare for the trip? I had to get nine vaccinations and apply for visas. Sisters who had been to Africa gave me valuable advice.
What did the Sisters speak? Everyone spoke English, but with an accent. In Kenya, which had been a British colony, English is used in schools. The Sisters also knew Swahili, and many hymns were in that language. Some also knew their tribal language. The only words I learned were “asante,” which means “thank you,” and “habari yako” (“hello, how are you?”).
How did you know what to do? I had a “guardian angel” at each of the three convents where I stayed. She helped me with meals, made sure I was on time for events, and even did my laundry.
What surprised you? The Sisters provide all their own food by farming. They raise animals and grow crops. The novices operate one farm and even slaughter the animals! Therefore the food is fresh, and chemicals are not used.
Stay tuned to learn about the food, animals, schools, ministries, the liturgies, other celebrations, etc.
At the end of my talk on the joy of being a consecrated woman, I taught the junior professed the song, “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy.” Later, they sang it at my farewell celebration. Unfortunately, I can’t post the video of them singing, but here is the YouTube version. (You can skip the ad.)
https://youtu.be/xoOyjO1sbXo?si=QGonEbS4HXmJkyo4https://youtu.be/xoOyjO1sbXo?si=QGonEbS4HXmJkyo4
Everyday Ways to Boost Mental and Emotional Wellness
Providentially, Scott Sanders offered to provide a guest blog post to cover one of the weeks I will be in Africa. I hope you find it helpful.
Busy parents, parish volunteers, and professionals carrying family responsibilities often work hard to live their faith while running low on emotional bandwidth. The tension is real. Prayer and Sunday Mass can feel steady; yet anxiety, irritability, and fatigue still spill into decisions and relationships. Mental wellness and everyday emotional wellness deserve the same ordinary attention given to meals, sleep, and work. This is because mental strain can distort how grace is received and shared. With thoughtful, faith-based self-care and Catholic lifestyle integration, it becomes easier to seek mental health support without guilt or confusion.
Understanding Faith-Compatible Wellness
Spirituality and mental health work best as partners, not competitors. A simple rule helps. Choose practices that support your dignity, freedom, and love of God and neighbor, and skip anything that replaces prayer, the sacraments, or conscience. Christian prayer stays central because pray to know Jesus frames wellness as relationship, not self-fixation.
This matters because many popular trends promise calm but leave you more scrambled or spiritually uneasy. The wellness market is valued at $1.5 trillion. It is normal to feel pressured to keep up and wonder if you missed the “right” method.
Picture a parent who prays daily but also uses breathwork, a short walk, or cold water on the face. Those habits are like setting the table so grace can be received with less noise and reactivity. That same principle can guide low-effort support through reflective, story-based listening.
Use Reflective Reading or Podcast Listening to Steady Your Day
When faith-compatible wellness meets real life, it helps to have support you can carry into the ordinary moments of your day. Listening to podcasts or reading reflections can be a gentle, low-effort way to support everyday mental and emotional wellness. Educational and inspirational episodes and written reflections often offer encouragement, fresh perspective, and a sense of connection. This is especially true when you hear real stories from people who have faced setbacks, pursued personal growth, or reached meaningful goals. That kind of story-based companionship can soften feelings of isolation, reminding you that struggle and progress are part of being human.
Over time, positive content can also provide motivation and practical insights that help you keep a healthier mindset. If you want a story-driven example centered on perseverance and growth, you can keep this one handy for days when you need a steadier inner voice.
Try 7 Offbeat, Faith-Friendly Ways to Feel More Grounded
When your mind feels noisy, it helps to have a “menu” of small practices you can reach for, especially ones that fit Catholic rhythms of prayer, service, and community. Mix one or two of these into your daily routine.
1. Try “forest bathing” for 20 minutes: Walk slowly under trees and treat it like a Creation-focused examen: notice light, wind, scent, and color. Then name one gratitude and one worry to hand to God. Forest bathing benefits often come from lowering sensory overload and giving your attention one gentle place to rest. If you can’t get to a park, do a “micro-version” on a tree-lined block and stop for three deep breaths at every crosswalk.
2. Practice birdwatching mindfulness with one simple prompt: Stand still for 5–10 minutes and listen for three distinct bird calls; then look for the bird that made each sound. Birding naturally increases mindfulness and presence because you have to pay attention to small movements and patterns. To make it faith-friendly, close with one line of praise, “Lord, how diverse Your works are!” and move on with your day.
3. Use pet companionship as a “loneliness interrupt”: If you have a pet, schedule two short “connection breaks” daily: 5 minutes of play or brushing in the morning, and a 10-minute walk or cuddle in the evening. Pet companionship supports mental health by giving your body a calming touch, predictable routine, and a sense of being needed. If you don’t own a pet, ask a neighbor if you can occasionally walk their dog or visit a friend’s cat.
4. Do faith-aligned art therapy with a low-pressure project: Set a timer for 15 minutes and sketch, collage, or color one spiritual theme: hands in prayer, a storm and a lighthouse, the Sacred Heart, or a saint’s symbol. The “therapy” part is the process. Label the emotion you’re carrying, then choose colors or shapes that match it, without judging the result. Finish with a simple offering: “Jesus, I give You what’s on this page.”
5. Try tai chi for mental wellness after listening to or reading something reflective: Right after, do 6 minutes of gentle flow: slow weight shifts, shoulder circles, and “cloud hands” (hands floating side-to-side with soft knees). Tai chi for mental wellness can help by downshifting the stress response and reconnecting mind and body through steady, non-competitive movement. Keep it simple: if you can breathe and move slowly, you can start.
6. Choose one “hidden” volunteering activity. Volunteering and emotional health often connect through purpose and belonging, but it needs to be sustainable. Pick one small role for 4–8 weeks. Write one encouraging note weekly to a homebound parishioner, help set up chairs once a month, or bring an extra bag of groceries to the parish pantry. If you tend toward burnout, choose “behind-the-scenes” service over high-emotion roles.
7. Make a candle-and-breath ritual your transition between roles: When you move from work to family time, or from parenting to prayer, light a candle. For 2 minutes, inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 6, and name the role you’re entering. This is a concrete way to “close the mental tabs” the same way reflective listening helps you focus a wandering mind. Pair it with one sentence from Scripture or the day’s saint.
Common Questions about Wellness Habits
Q: What if these practices make me feel scrupulous or like I’m “doing it wrong”?
A: Keep the goal simple: peace, gratitude, and steadier love of God and neighbor. If a practice spikes anxiety or perfectionism, shrink it to one minute and use a gentle closing prayer like “Jesus, I trust You.” When scruples persist, bring it to confession or spiritual direction and ask for one clear boundary.
Q: How can I schedule mental wellness when my day is already packed?
A: Treat it like hygiene, not a project: attach one small habit to something you already do, such as after coffee or before bed. Many people are already doing pieces of this since self-care activities often include movement and connection, so you may only need a structure and a timer.
Q: Can I do these even if I’m not “into mindfulness”?
A: Yes. Choose a concrete focus like noticing one sound, one color, or one Scripture phrase, then stop. The point is attention with reverence, not an empty mind.
Q: Which options fit introverts, extroverts, or people who burn out easily?
A: Introverts often do best with quiet, sensory practices and low-pressure creativity. Extroverts usually benefit from brief social connection or small acts of service. If you burn out, pick predictable, low-emotion commitments and protect your rest.
Q: Should I replace therapy or medication with prayer and these habits?
A: No. Faith and treatment can work together, and many people find better mental health alongside consistent spiritual practice. If symptoms are intense or worsening, talk to a licensed clinician and keep your spiritual support in place.
Build Steady Wellness Through One Small Weekly Practice
When life feels full, it’s easy to want better mental and emotional health yet struggle to keep anything consistent without scruples or burnout. The way forward is integrating wellness into daily life through prayer-adjacent routines and a consistent mental health practice. Over time, motivating faith-based self-care like this makes room for calmer reactions, clearer thinking, and a steadier sense of God’s nearness in ordinary stress. Pick one simple practice and let it become a gentle habit.
What do you do to stay mentally healthy?
Which one or two suggestions here are you included to adopt?
For those who are unfamiliar with Tai Chi (like me), here is an instructional video. It’s excellent, but you need to endure ads by Huston and Vonn every couple minutes!
Lessons from Trees
Trees have been on my mind, especially as I take my daily walk along our forest, hoping the black bear isn’t lurking there! I thought of writing a post about trees and then discovered I had written one years ago. So here it is again slightly adapted.
I said to the almond tree, “Sister, speak to me of God.”
And the almond tree blossomed.
~ Nikos Kazantzakis
My home, an apartment on Pine Grove Trail, faces north, and the view is our lovely pine forest—a place I always considered sacred. Lately I’ve been hearing a great deal about trees: how they support one another through their root systems, how they even “speak. A Facebook post was “Advice from a Tree: Stand tall and proud, go out on a limb, remember your roots, drink plenty of water, be content with your natural beauty, and don’t forget to enjoy the view!”
Here is my chapter on trees from my book Voices ~ God Speaking in Creation.
Zacchaeus’s Sycamore Tree
Most people have favorite trees: the oak from which Dad hung an old tire, the apple tree whose lowest branch is the perfect perch for reading, the graceful willow by the side of a stream. No doubt Zacchaeus’s favorite tree was the sycamore that boosted him toward Christ and salvation.
How convenient for Zacchaeus that a sycamore tree grew along Jesus’ route. This tree’s short trunk and wide lateral branches make it ideal for climbing. So Zacchaeus took advantage of what nature provided, a tree, to make up for what nature had denied him, height. The wealthy tax collector, probably pompous and rotund, clambered up the tree as fast as he could. He was not afraid to be up a tree in order to see Jesus.
Keeping our eyes on Jesus is not so easy. It requires initiative, courage, and discipline. Sometimes it means risking our job, our friends, our reputation, or even our life. Sometimes it means standing alone. Followers of Jesus must be willing to be labeled “fool,” “oddball,” and “goody-goody” as well as “troublemaker.” After all, Jesus, who was accused of being crazy or possessed, did warn, “A disciple is not above the teacher. . . . If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul [Satan], how much more will they malign those of his household!” (Matthew 10:24–25).
St. Oscar Romero
Archbishop Oscar Romero knew what it was like to be out on a limb for Jesus’s sake. For three years he preached Christ’s values of justice and peace, condemning the injustice and violence perpetrated by El Salvador’s government. He endured mockery and persecution. Four other bishops in his country opposed him. The transmitter in church that broadcast his sermons was destroyed by a bomb. He was the object of a million-dollar smear campaign. Aware that he was on “the list,” the Archbishop offered his blood for his people. He refused personal protection, saying, “The shepherd does not want security while security is not given to his flock.” On March 25, 1980, Oscar Romero was gunned down as he celebrated Mass in the cancer hospital where he lived. His foolhardiness gained him the beatific vision. He is now St. Oscar Romero.
Granted, we are not all called to be martyrs by blood. We all know, though, how daily decisions and circumstances can be calls to Christian heroism. We draw strength to answer these invitations by being united with Jesus through prayer and the sacraments, and from people who share our vision. When we encounter someone living simply or hear of someone forgiving an enemy, then we are more disposed to live that way ourselves. We are so interrelated in the body of Christ that we constantly affect one another. Our goodness and the good that we do somehow influence everyone else. Unfortunately, so do our badness and the bad we do.
Being a Sycamore Tree
One way we can exert a positive influence is to play the sycamore tree in the lives of people searching for God. If we are deeply rooted in love and faith, we are able to offer others the support they need to behold the divine. A woman invites her friend to return to the Church and accompanies her to the sacrament of reconciliation. A man lends a co-worker a good spiritual book. A busy pastor makes time to counsel a seventeen-year-old who is undergoing a crisis of faith. Evangelization is every Christian’s mission. We carry it out by raising our children to know and live the faith, by participating in the parish programs, and by contributing to the missions at home and abroad. To lift others to Jesus we needn’t proclaim him on street corners. Our lives shout him by our kindness, prayerfulness, and concern.
Trees as Symbols of Life and Death
Trees figure largely in salvation history. Many of them are symbols of life. Genesis tells how God planted the tree of life in the garden. This same tree grows in the city of God described in the Book of Revelation. Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God in terms of a flourishing mustard tree in whose branches many birds nest. On the other hand, some biblical trees represent death: Eden’s tree of the knowledge of good and evil; the tree that ensnared King David’s son Absalom’s hair, making him easy prey for the enemy; and the fig tree Jesus cursed for its lack of fruit. The tree of the cross paradoxically belongs to both categories. Although it is an instrument of death, it brings about eternal life.
Reconciliation
Zacchaeus’s tree is a symbol of life because it led to reconciliation, a characteristic of growth. Sin saps our energy and results in decay. Although it is really not a black mark on our souls, sin makes us feel dirty, marred. It is a disease that also harms those around us. When Zacchaeus is healed and purified by Jesus, not only he, but everyone in his house and in the neighborhood benefits.
Jesus still works dramatic miracles of grace in some sinners. Jim Townsend served a sentence for killing his pregnant wife. She had tried to prevent him from attacking a man during a card game. While in prison, Jim came to know Jesus better and was drawn to him. After he was released, he became a Franciscan brother, devoted to bringing other people to Jesus, the Life, by his preaching.
Some theologians identify mercy as the greatest of God’s attributes. God described himself to Moses as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, . . . forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin” (Exodus 34:6–7). Repeatedly God forgave his straying chosen people, and repeatedly Jesus forgave sinners he met on Earth. Our God is the God of second chances and third and fourth . . .
Conversion
Undeniably, the healing of our body is remarkable. We scrape a knuckle. Soon a scab forms. Underneath it skin grows, just enough to fill the injured space. The scar shrinks and falls off, uncovering the new layer of skin. Gradually even the scar fades. Broken bones too knit to become whole again. Likewise, our supernatural life can be healed when it is damaged. Through encountering Christ in the sacraments, we are repeatedly restored to health. There the Divine Physician mends our fractured humanity. The working of grace makes us like new.
It is always possible for a Christian to make a 180-degree turnabout to God. But such dramatic conversions are rare. Today the concept of life-long conversion has taken hold. We realize that all of us are constantly challenged to turn more toward the Lord. In many ways the Holy Spirit is quietly renewing the Earth. How appropriate that the Renew program, a program for continual conversion, chose a tree for its logo, a symbol of life and growth.
Forgiving Others
A major part of conversion involves being reconciled with one another. The all-too-human reaction to an offense or injury is to return evil for evil, reverting to the Old Testament morality of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The number of liability suits in recent years has skyrocketed so that liability insurance is practically unaffordable for most. The entertainment media advocate revenge along with their general sale of violence.
Contrary to today’s culture, Jesus taught forgiveness. He lived it when he forgave his executioners as he was dying on the cross. His followers try to live it. The world was stunned at the sight of St. Pope John Paul II embracing his would-be assassin. It was also amazed when Amish people comforted the family of the man who shot at ten of their schoolgirls, killing five.
Grudges
Actually, forgiving is healthy. Unforgiveness threatens our well-being. As someone noted, holding a grudge is drinking poison and expecting the other person to die from it. Harbored within a person, bitterness snowballs until it destroys individuals, families, and nations.
Anyone who has borne resentment toward another knows how miserable it makes one’s own life. To nurture a grudge, one must always be on guard, thoughts are absorbed, and sleep is lost. Like other evils, this hardheartedness is upsetting emotionally and perhaps even physically. If we would abolish all silent treatments, other petty meannesses, grudges, retaliations, and lawsuits, much of our suffering would disappear.
In order to be a peacemaker by extending forgiveness, we have to be strong. We have to own a good self-concept. Then we will be free enough to be humble and loving and Christian. We will be able to say “I forgive you.” We will also be able to say sincerely “I’m sorry.” With Jesus’ loving encouragement, Zacchaeus could do both.
The Strength of Trees
Trees are majestic creatures. Upheld by sturdy trunks, they reach into the sky and tower over us. Whether the wind rustles or howls through their branches, they only bend and sway. Most impressive are the redwood trees of California that can grow to be an amazing three hundred and fifty feet high. Surprisingly, the roots of these giant trees are very shallow, only five or six feet deep. How do the redwoods remain standing upright? Their secret is that they grow in a group and their roots intermingle. The trees hold up one another—a lesson for us all!
The giant sequoia trees that grow only on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada also teach a moral. Their seeds are trapped inside their pinecones. It requires a fire to dry out the cones so that they crack and release the seeds. When these seeds fall to the ground, new life begins.
The psalmist draws on trees to deliver an important message. He makes an apt comparison. He says that people who follow God’s laws “are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither” (Psalm 1:3). An upright person has an air of dignity. Moreover, he or she bears much good fruit.
Benefits of Trees
Trees have multiple uses. They provide shade, fruit, nuts, lumber, tea, and maple syrup. Zacchaeus’s tree served both as a ladder to God and as a bridge to reconciliation with God and others. Shel Silverstein beautifully illustrates the concept of total sacrificial love by means of a tree. In his book The Giving Tree, a boy receives gifts from his tree all his life long. At the conclusion of the story, the boy is an old man, and nothing is left of the self-sacrificing tree but a stump. Generous to the end, the tree invites the old man to rest on the stump.
We can imitate this self-giving by sharing with others our time, talents, and treasure. We truly give ourselves to others in the simple gift of presence just like the sycamore tree was there when Zacchaeus needed it.
Michel Quoist recounts a time when his presence meant a lot to a little stranger. One evening during a stay in the hospital, he heard sobbing. He traced the sound to a child who was severely burned. He sat beside the child a while and talked soothingly. Whenever he got up to leave, the child’s crying increased. Quoist spent the rest of the night being there with the child, helpless to relieve the pain, but offering comfort nonetheless.
It is important to be with others: in hospital rooms, at wakes, at graduations, and at celebrations. It is important to be waiting up for others when they come home. Our presence speaks volumes. Conversely, how lucky we are if we have reliable friends who are there at the right time. “Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel,” Shakespeare has Polonius advise in Hamlet.
Trees’ Invitation to Pray
Trees, like the sycamore, raise our minds to God by their beauty. Palm trees, fir trees, giant redwoods, and a multiplicity of other trees enhance our planet. With the changing of the seasons, most trees advance from one kind of beauty to another. In the summer, luxuriant forms of all sizes and shapes clothe the land with shades of green. In the fall, flaming leaves set the world afire with brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds. Winter days alternately bring breathtaking scenes of bare, black branches against purple skies, snow-laden limbs, and ice-encased trees glistening with cool beauty. Then the coming of spring is heralded by a rush of green, buds, and lovely blossoms. No wonder Joyce Kilmer in his poem “Trees” concludes, “Only God can make a tree.”
Trees’ Invitation to Play
Trees evoke images of play. Who has not built a treehouse, swung from vines, picnicked under a tree, or hidden his or her face against the trunk of a tree, counting to a hundred for a game of hide-and-seek? To play is to be like the child Jesus exhorted us to resemble: carefree and ready to be thrilled by life. Anyone who is concerned about personal well-being attempts to balance work and play. Our bodies, minds, and souls need periods of relief from pressure and tension to be re-created. Rejuvenated through play, we can accomplish our work more efficiently and in a happier frame of mind.
Equally important, it is through play that we come to know ourselves and others better. It affords us time to reflect on who we are and what we are doing. Through playful interaction with others, we discover truths about ourselves, consoling as well as disturbing. We also forge the bonds of friendship and community more strongly through such experiences as the shared joy of viewing a funny movie together and the healthy competition of a good tennis match. On the whole, “One could do worse than be a swinger of birches,” as Robert Frost comments in his poem “Birches.”
Since Zacchaeus, tree climbing has become well established in Christian tradition. For taking on himself the sins of the world, Jesus climbed a tree to become the Great Reconciler.
What role has a tree or trees played in your life?
What is your favorite tree? Why?
When I was in the Novitiate, the Medical Mission Sisters’ songs were popular. The first video below is one of them. The second one is a modern version of Zacchaeus.
