Seeing the Beauty in all of our rings

​I told a friend a story yesterday. After hearing it, she said I am sure there are many layers to that story.

I said you are right. There are.

The truth is there are layers to all of our stories, to all of our lives.

On my walk back from the beach yesterday, I started thinking about this in terms of the rings that mark the life of a tree. When you cut it down, you get a glimpse of the story of that tree's life.

A ring for each year. Each year with its own story.

Maybe there are rings I wish weren't there when someone cuts down the tree of my life. But then that would make it no longer my tree. It would be some other tree that is not me.

As I look back on my ring of 2022, I wouldn't change anything about it. There were easy days and hard days. There were happy days and sad days. Days that left me full and days that left me longing. But they were all my days. Every one of them.

All days in the story of my tree. All the days forever included in my ring.

My friend says, "The journey of life is beautiful even in the midst of intense grief, especially in the midst of intense grief."

One day when someone cuts down the tree of my life, they won't be able to tell which rings were grief and which rings were joy. They will only see a series of rings spiraling out from birth to death like a beautiful piece of art.

What a blessing to be able to see the art in our rings long before the tree is cut down. To see the beauty in the midst of them....

I pray you can look back and see the beauty in your 2022 ring. I hope you sense and feel the beautiful tree it is helping you become. I know for some of us that is harder to do than for others. Still, that remains my prayer.

And I pray your 2023 ring will be your most amazing ring ever. If not because it's an amazing year, then because you take a step closer to knowing just how amazing you are no matter what the year holds.

Because this ring you are about to grow is you. And you are the only you. One day someone will cut down the tree of your life and they will see the rings of the one and only you.

In a world so large, and so full, isn't that a beautiful thing to know - the uniqueness of our own uniqueness?

Every tree has its rings. Every human has their stories; every story it's layers. Oh the peace when we see the beauty in them all. In our own and in each others.

Happy New Year to all of you dear friends. As you ring in the new year, don't forget to celebrate the old rings. The rings that make you YOU.

The rings that make you beautiful.