Give thanks for scars, deeper roots — and grow on

Evidently, after a heavy rainfall, water saturates the ground to a deeper depth. This causes a tree’s moisture-seeking roots to follow the water and therefore plant themselves down deeper into the earth as well. It’s also believed that the stress of storm winds cause the outer layers of a tree’s trunk to grow faster, helping it to thicken up in a shorter amount of time.

It’s not just one storm, though, that helps a tree grow deeper and stronger where it stands. It’s several storms over time, a series of torrents and gusts. All of this rooting and growing in the face of heavy weather protects a tree from simply blowing over. And, it prepares a tree for the storms yet to come.

Just because a tree remains standing, however, doesn’t mean it isn’t damaged. Lightning strikes, for example, almost always leave scars. A tree may be alive and well—a survivor—yet bear marks that never fully fade. But if some injuries never heal, do scars speak to survival, or to death? Perhaps both, if we think of scars as small parts that died in order to save the whole.

I think we as humans can relate. Dark times can damage us so deeply that even though we’re still physically here, we can’t imagine a time when we will feel fully recovered. After the storms of our own life, we may wonder if our bodies, minds or souls will ever be the same again.

Some storms pass quickly; others take years. Waiting for a long storm to pass takes a toll on the spirit, even when you know those skies will eventually clear. Often we aren’t even aware of a storm’s full impact until after the fact, when we have the visibility to sort out all the damages.

Last year was a challenging time for me. I was waiting for some really good things to happen, but before I could reach those moments, I knew I had to first wade through several months of stress and worry. I struggled to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even though so many people I loved promised me it was coming. Often that light felt nowhere in reach.

Many mornings I would wake up thinking about how great it would be if I could hit fast forward, skip all the heartache and resume living when I wanted to. Then I came across another wise Parton-ism that gave me a better perspective: “If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!”

It’s true—rainbows appear in the sky only after the clouds clear. I learned to look for a rainbow after every storm. And during the times I couldn’t see one, I learned to hope for one. A rainbow is a symbol of promise, a beautiful reminder of the gifts yet to come. I came to realize that we can’t truly enjoy the rainbow without first surviving the storm.

This week, as we embark upon a new season of spring, many of us will celebrate the greatest of all promises. It’s important that we also take time to think about the suffering, sacrifice and scars. After the storm, I hope you rise to an Easter morning filled with promise, and to many reminders of the love and light we’ve been given so that we may go—and grow—on.

Alexa Boehringer is a staff writer for The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier. The opinions of this writer are her own and not the opinion of the paper. She can be reached at (334) 393-2969 or by email at [email protected].