THE LIFE AND TESTAMENT OF AN APPLE EATER

Maybe it's not so much what it was, but what it awakened in us. Each time we saw the seeds buried beneath the ground, each time we saw them break through. The way they grew, and grew, and grew! The way they held to their roots and would not let go- even in the face of mighty storms. We saw the seeds transform from nothing more than a sprout to apple trees. Apples we so eagerly picked and enjoyed. The delightfulness of the fruit a sweet reminder of something that is so easily forgotten- courage. It was the way of the pioneers, of the adventurers. Courageous ones who stepped into the unknown! Like seeds into the ground! The courage wasn't the absence of any fear, it was the act of moving forward despite it. It was something we used to hold dear and very near to our hearts. But then the days that we had never expected came, the ones we had never planned for, the snowy days, the rainy days, the avalanches, the days where we fell apart.

We set down our courage and wild ideas for adventure. If we had been an orchard in the wilderness, we became a well-groomed garden in a box. It's strange how it happened, the way the minutes ticked into hours, passing away into days that slowly faded to years. We became complacent in a time that was only meant to be a season, but even spring cannot come if one is not brave enough to pursue growth. We set down our courage, certain we would use it later and certain it wasn't relevant for right now. For the everyday, the days we now lived. Only it wasn't always like this. There were days where we carried our courage with us every second. We used to adventure beyond what we knew, not for the risk but for the wonder. The wonder of farther shores, deeper waters, and higher mountains. Peaks that gave us perspective like a breath of fresh air on a warm summer day. It was the way the seeds grew that reminded us we had time. We wouldn't always be strong, we wouldn't always be who we needed to be, but in time we could grow into it. In time, we too could become. We didn't have to jump from being a seed to being a blooming fragrance; those things came with time.

It was the way the wind blew that reminded us that there were fresh things always on the horizon, new things. The wind would shake the trees, their leaves dancing away. They were completely emptied…. But then when spring came! They became alive again! And everything the trees had given away, had only made room for something new, something better. We were never stuck or limited to just here- new things could begin where old things had been. It wasn't science or a trick, it was just nature. But a season that overstays its welcome quickly becomes complacency. We had become complacent in a season without growth. The things we had looked to, like apples on trees- were no longer there to remind us. We had not seen seeds growing in a long time and we became overwhelmed. We had plenty of courage left within us and handfuls of seeds, but we could not comprehend how the seed would become leaves with branches. How to get there from here?! How to be brave when afraid? The winter had only meant to be a season passing through, but somehow we lost our courage in the snowstorms. We forgot that spring would come again, and with it fresh fruit! We forgot that winter is a season we all face, a hard one- a rewarding one. Winter is a time for courage to rest, to hibernate, to prepare for the fruit of spring… but if it doesn’t wake up again, then spring will never come.  I remember these days as history, a wonderful history and not just wishful thinking. It was who we once were as courageous pioneers, I wondered if in time it was something we could become- yet again. Looking to the cold sky, my thoughts continued to wander.

Looking to the frozen earth beneath my feet, I saw an old friend I hardly recognized- a sprout… A beginning; an ounce of courage in the face of winter. A seed now, slowly becoming. We were seeing something we hadn’t seen in a long time, we were being reminded what it looked like and how to do it. Little by little, day by day.

 I smiled, Courage was beginning to grow again...