Growing Heartwood (part 1)



Aldermere Trail, Telkwa, BC



The first principle in getting through adversity is drawing on the internalized strength gained from past influences, experiences and experiments.

I love walking in the woods.   My path lies over rich dirt and pine needles, fallen leaves and tree roots.  Vibrant green ferns, wildflowers, mosses and prickle bushes line the dirt path.  And everywhere are the alder, pine and spruce—firmly rooted in the woodland soil they stand tall and straight and reach for the sunlight above them. 

It is peaceful among the trees in the wood.  It is stilling to listen to the silent but rich growth going on all around me.  Sometimes the stillness is complemented by birdsong or the industrious tap-tap of a woodpecker.  Always the majestic trees stand where they are planted...

I am reminded of lines from William Cullen Bryant’s “A Forest Hymn”:

“Be it ours to meditate

In these calm shades thy milder majesty,

And to the beautiful order of thy works

Learn to conform the order of our lives.”

You’ll notice if you walk through the woods that some trees are slim young things, supple and fresh-looking, while others are ancient grandfathers dripping with ‘old man’s beard’.  At the core of each of these trees—beneath the bark, beneath the sapwood—lies the heartwood.

The heartwood was once alive but as time passed a new living layer formed leaving the dead layer behind.  Dead but not useless--for it gives the tree its breadth;  it might be called the spine of the tree keeping it straight and tall. 

We too—as “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord”—have heartwood.  The influences we experienced in the past have made us what we are today.  This is core strength to draw upon when adversity strikes.

Here is a selection of influences that create heartwood:

Ancestors

“Search out your heritage," Pres. Thomas S. Monson urged. “It is important to know, as far as possible, those who came before us. We discover something about ourselves when we learn about our ancestors.”

The stories of my ancestors have served as a source of inspiration and  motivation in my life—teaching me about the power of compassion, courage, integrity, faith, prayer, writing, work, love, kindness...

Parents and other Mentors

“Each day of our lives,” Charles R. Swindoll says, “we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”

Usually banked in the child’s mind are lessons learned in the home—team-work, co-operation, kindness, discipline, moral principles and life-skills. All these form heartwood.

Books

I find I absorb the implicit worldview of the characters in books I read. As Charles Kinsley reminds us so vividly:

“Except a living man there is nothing more wonderful than a book!  A message to us from…human souls we never saw…And yet these arouse us, terrify us, teach us, comfort us, open their hearts to us as brothers.”

Pets

“Until one has loved an animal,” Anatole France says, “a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

There is much we can learn from animals including friendship, unconditional love, cheerfulness, hard work and energetic play. 

Next up--Growing Heartwood (part 2)