Present ...

I love looking at very old trees.

Trees that have stood the test of time & filled with wisdom and lessons learned.

Their strength and resilience {often with bends and twists, cracks and holes showing their co-operation with the weather blended with tenacity :-D} ... we can learn so much from being with the trees.

The Branching Tree is a little different from all the others in the series. She tells of a family legacy ... the Crone ~ her daughter ~ her grand daughters ... "Wisdom learned and status earned from a founding member of the family tree".  This is what I think when I see elder trees. Respect earned and deserved.  Oh the stories they can tell ♥

©Women of the Woods

#30 ~ The Branching Tree

There's a story in the trees that tells
of generations past.
Of roots that spread across the ground
that are wide and strong and vast.

As told by ancient Mother dear
to branches down below.
The honored place that she has reached
preserving what she knows.

Maiden * Mother * Crone we know
preserve the family lore.
With steadfast branches at the top
to shoots that share the same core.

For under the crone's cloak of branches and vine
holds more than the eye can see.
Wisdom learned and status earned
from a founding member of the family tree.

©Women of the Woods

#29 ~ Gathering in Gratitude

Gather around to hear the words
of woodland tales and forest birds.

A kinship bond with creatures near
of water, earth and sky held dear.

Where nests are built in branches high
shaded from the sun in the deep blue sky.

Of spirit talk heard amongst the trees
a whispered hum of the wild and free.

When I started painting my ©Women of the Woods Series, I had no idea just how many would find their way from woodland walk inspiration to paper.

This past weekend, I put the finishing touches to what I think will be the last two

{making it 30 in the collection}.

As always ... I either have a story idea as I begin ... or ...  the story comes to me bit by bit as I am painting ... in which case I jot down lines here and there on the brown paper wrap that covers my art table. Other times, I have finished the painting, and then, the story appears.

For Gathering in Gratitude {#29}

We were just home from a long Woodland Walk.  I sat with paper in front of me and filled it with everything we had been blessed to see that afternoon. Wild rabbits ... sparrows ...Owl ... gentle streams of water along the trail ...tiny little blossoms appearing  ♥

"A kinship bond with creatures near ..."

 For she is a tree of life

to those that embrace her

~Proverbs~

and

a little affirmation canvas for my studio altar

~present~

"Be present in all things

and

thankful for all things"

~Maya Angelou~