A tree made me! A tree saved me!

I love trees!  Love all of the different shapes and sizes.  I think it is great when you can find a shape or design in a tree.  Kind of like laying on your back and looking at the clouds...pig, plane, or even a car.  There is a tree on Cane Creek Road and every time I drive by it I see a heart.  I wish I was good at photography...because I would totally capture that heart for you.

I love the idea of the "tree of life" and the "family tree".  For me they are intertwined.  The tree is a symbol of where I come from, who I am, and what makes me who I am.  It is my family.  It is all the true friends in my life.  Some branches are thicker.  These would be the relationships that are stronger and hold more meaning.  Some are thin.  The people that maybe you aren't as close with, or are a person from your past.  There are your occasional branches that fall off.  Well...and that one would be self explanatory.  :)  Your trunk is your foundation.  A good solid foundation in God.  A good mix of family.  Without a good strong trunk, your tree could be swayed.

One of my favorite places to visit with my Kenny is Charleston.  It is just amazing there.  They have the most beautiful wrought iron fencing throughout the city.  On one of our visits I bought a necklace of a tree from a jeweler that does replicas of the iron work.  Apparently though...the tree does not exist as a fence.  It is to pay homage to the angel oak.  Of course now I want a wrought iron gate with a tree on it.  :)   Here is my necklace.

Today I got a tattoo of this tree!  I wanted it as a reminder of all of the above.  I am who I am.  God made me.  I have a good, strong trunk with some really great branches in my life.  I have lost branches, continue to lose branches, and probably will lose more.  God prunes you!  He takes people out of your life.  He adds people to it.  You can handle the pruning if your trunk and roots are rock solid.  I could not be more excited about my tattoo.  It is fabulous!  Have a look.  :)

I have another tree that is important to me.  This is the tree that saved me...a cross.  Without a cross, I would not have life.

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."  1 Peter 2:24  

I found a cross similar to this with the ichthys.  I loved it.  So although it doesn't look like "the" cross, it is a symbol of the cross that saved me.

A tree made me!  A tree saved me!  Something to think about next time you look at a tree.