Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
It’s not the typical Thanksgiving picture with shocks of corn and the obligatory pumpkin, or ripened apples set in a cornucopia-like setting denoting the abundance of the Lord. No, none of these blessings are displayed, just a single tree, and a burnt one at that. On top of that, it wasn’t even fall, announced with the typical flourish of autumn color selected from the reds, yellows, and oranges by the Artist’s hand. No, just that burnt tree.
The backwoods road we were following down a single-lane path seemed to have no particular destination. Of course it may have, it just wasn’t apparent to us. It started in the high desert and wound its way upward until passing through an area that had been burned over in the not too distant past. Emergent growth now covered the ugly scars left behind by the flames, although the larger trees still bore evidence of its heat.
So, what makes a charred Jeffrey Pine an appropriate reminder that we have much to be thankful for? While it’s easy to bask in the abundance of the Lord, with the fruits of the harvest piled around us, we also should be grateful He provides us with grace to help us make it through those difficult times in life. Burned it is, but full of life as evidenced by the greenery at its crown.