Margaret Cheasebro

Now is a good time to search on the ground around trees in your yard or on public pathways through your town to find pine cones and other things that have dropped from trees. They make wonderful art work for anyone who has the patience and skill to create original pieces.

Many years ago, a friend of mine gathered some small pine cones she found and crafted them into a Christmas tree ornament. She gave it to me, and I have hung it on my tree every year since then. It reminds me of our friendship and of her ability to create lovely things.

Start close to home by walking around your yard to see what you can find on the ground. Twigs, pine cones, pine needles, dried autumn leaves, and little stones are among the many things you might find. If you want, you can invite family members or friends to join the fun.

Drop the items you collect into a paper or plastic bag. When you have enough, take them inside. If necessary, clean them off in whatever way seems most appropriate. If you choose a way that damages the item, don't worry. Just go out and find something else.

Once the items you collected are clean and dry, spread them out on a table or on the floor. Give them a discerning look. What item could you create with some of those pieces? If you think of something, move those pieces to one part of the table or floor and begin putting them together.

If what you create doesn't look like you hoped it would, set it aside and look at the remaining pieces. What could you build from them? Use your imagination. You can use anything to help you build your idea, such as a glue gun, cloth material, string, or colorful paper.

Keep working until you run out of time or want to take a break. There's no need to use up all the pieces. Anything left over you can deposit outside in your yard. Set the pieces you have completed aside.

Look at all the items you have created. Are there a few that you really like? Keep as many of them as you want. The others would make good gifts for friends. If you don't like some of the things you created, throw them away or give them to your cat or a neighbor's cat for a toy.

If you are struggling with an issue in your life that weighs you down or stresses you almost beyond your ability to cope, take time to visit the trees you have come to appreciate. Many of them may be in your yard or around your neighborhood.

When you get to one of those trees, stand near it. Quiet your mind as much as you can and focus on the tree. Notice the texture of its bark. Touch the bark to sense how it feels to your hands. Is it rough, smooth, lumpy? Look higher up into the tree. Trace the branches with your eyes. Notice how the twigs and any remaining leaves that have not fallen attach to the branches and spread beyond them.

Do you see any nests in the tree, any birds perched there, perhaps squawking at you for standing so close to the tree? Are there any other wildlife? Once I saw a porcupine perched in a tall cottonwood. Another time I saw a snake winding its way up the trunk of a tree toward a bird's nest containing, it hoped, eggs to eat.

Then bring your gaze back down to the base of the tree. Notice the roots, how they splay out from the tree trunk and bury themselves into the ground, forming a strong, sturdy base for the tree. Imagine what it would be like for you to let strong pillars of support flow from your feet deep into the earth, letting the planet nurture you and help you feel stronger.

Once you feel well grounded as you enjoy that connection you have forged with the earth, stand quietly as you feel strength flow into you. Look up into the tree again. If you feel so inclined, say a prayer of blessing, gratitude or encouragement for it.

As you feel calmness resting like a warm, comfortable cloak around you, listen to impressions that go beyond the sounds of branches brushing against each other in a gentle breeze, beyond the rustle of dried leaves on the ground as a squirrel passes by. In that quietness that takes you into a place deep within yourself, listen for any impressions that come to your mind.

You may become aware of an encouraging thought, a supportive idea, a phrase to cling to when life seems too difficult, too overwhelming, too confusing. You may feel filled with love so deep that it fills you up and overflows in tears of joy.

Is the thought coming from the tree? Is it coming from the greater wisdom within you, from the divine presence that always surrounds you even when you forget it's there? You don't have to figure out where it's coming from. Just notice the message, repeat it so that you don't forget it, and thank the tree for helping you find your way into a meditative state that allowed that thought to give you the strength, courage and stamina to carry on.

When you feel ready, say goodbye to the tree and head back to your life full of challenges. No matter what you face, remember the message, the sense of love or joy that filled you with hope and strength. Carry it like a treasure in your mind and repeat it as often as you need to. Write it down somewhere so that in the coming days, when you need it most and have a hard time recalling it, you can find it and be strengthened once again by its powerful message.