Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, November 21, 2025
On a post-breakfast stroll with Shelley this past Tuesday, I saw this little leaf poking through a crack in a board fence. Even though the ravages of autumn have started to cause a bit of discoloration, this leaf looks thoroughly healthy for its life-cycle.
I should have studied the crack more, or got a better photo angle, because it seems really tiny. Yet this leaf – separated from its companions as it is – is still alive. It’s been receiving nourishment the way any leaf does, through its stem. And the stem is connected to a branch on the other side, and the branch is attached to the tree trunk, which is connected to earth (maybe even a garden) on the other side, and has been drawing water from the ground and passing it along.
This little leaf gives me courage. Because you and I and every other human on this planet have been growing up outside the Garden of Eden. Yet we thrive physically, thanks to the generosity of our Creator, and spiritually if we allow Jesus’ Water of Life access to our hearts.
Have you been feeling lonely at all, maybe a bit like this leaf? The Bible has some encouraging things to say about this. Check out these five verses: