A Seed Fell

A small seed fell from a tree, dancing gleefully through the tossing wind. It settled onto the ground and waited with infinite patience.

The seed may have been waiting a short time or a long time. It didn't know, yet. But then the miracle happened — a deer came along and stepped on the seed.

The seed was driven deep into the soft, rich soil. It nestled there, happy in the warmth of the earth.

Soon it sprouted roots, searching into the moisture of the earth. Then a stem reached up toward the sun, growing stronger. And then branches and leaves reached out. It was growing.

One day, while soaking in the moisture of the earth and the warmth of the sun, it noticed the wholeness of itself. "A tree! I'm a tree!"

The tree stretched its limbs high toward the sky. "I shall grow taller and taller!" It proclaimed, "I am a tree!"

And it grew. For years. For centuries. Through storm, and drought, and climate change.

Four thousand years later it was the monarch of trees reflecting the magnificence of the earth.

Reaching toward the sun, caressed by the wind, roots deep in the earth, it watched many thousands of small seeds drift slowly to the ground. "Yes," it nodded, acknowledging each one. "You, too, can become a tree."