Morning Musings

Typically, I write my posts at the end of the day while things are fresh in my mind. Yesterday, we took so many photos, we drained the battery on the camera all the way down. There were multiple photos that I ended up not using. This morning, in the quiet of the morning, I had a few thoughts I thought I would put down while they are fresh. This blog I am doing isn't so much for you as it is for me. It is a journal of that which I have seen and experienced and stories of people I have had the opportunity meet, even if only for a fleeting moment. Some are people I have met who's impact will be far greater than the few minutes I was in their presence.

This morning I want to start by sharing 2 photos and ask you to ponder them for a bit.

This first one we have seen repeatedly here in the pacific northwest. Acres of forestry have been clear cut. The land is stripped of its valuable resource for profit.

This second photo I took because I was struck by the vibrancy of the yellow; with the sun hitting these flowers, they glowed so much in intensity that it was almost blinding.

Which photo is more pleasing to your senses? These beautiful flowering bushes are everywhere along the roadside. We were so taken with them that we took many photos.

Then, Rita researched what the flowering bushes were. They are Scotch Broom; many of you already knew that but we did not. Scotch Broom is not native to the Northwest; it is originally from Western Europe. It has no natural enemies and spreads very quickly. Each plant produces thousands of seeds that can remain dormant in the soil for up to 60 years. They are mildly toxic and grow so thickly that attempting to pass through them poses a challenge, particularly for firefighters attempting to extinguish a forest fire. They are invasive and readily take to areas clear cut for forestry, and other purposes.

Now to return to the first photo. As one who is somewhat of an environmentalist, I saw the clear cutting of the land with anger; look at how they raped the land, was my first thought. I took several photos with the intent of disparaging the lumber industry. Please look at the wanton disregard of the lumber industry.

But some research helped me to a different understanding. First appearances don't necessarily provide one with the proper understanding. Remember the wise saying, You can't always judge a book by its cover? That plays into my thoughts this morning.

The Pacific Northwest lumber industry has been working for sometime now on sustainable lumbering. They realize that clear cutting all forests will eventually lead to no forests. The lumber industry owns millions of acres of land and leases millions more. Trees are actually treated as crops. Just as a farmer plants corn and harvests it at the end of the season, trees are planted and harvested at the end of the season that just happens to be based upon years rather than months. Trees are a renewable resource. The forest will regrow but in the mean time, the resources from the forest are used in so many ways. As a former builder/carpenter, I was reliant upon the trees for my lively hood. The wood shavings on the conveyor in the photo above are for bedding for livestock. The forest may not fully recover to exactly what it was but it will regenerate in about 30 years.

And so, I write down my thoughts for when I need them again, and if you have read all of this, perhaps it may help you as well. The beautiful things that attract our vision and attention some times may turn out to be more harmful than good. The unsightly may be harboring a hidden gem. What fleeting beauty has drawn your attention from that which God would have you do? Focus instead upon that which provides life and sustenance instead of fleeting beauty that eventually overtakes you and chokes life from you.

Till Tonight!