heaven is a treehouse

"The lighter part is the tree growth during favorable conditions," he explained pointing at the concentric circles in my chunk of wood. "The cells are larger, more porous because the tree is growing faster then. The darker rings are growth during hard times. The cells are denser and stronger." I was listening; trying to learn what he was telling me so I might put the important bits in the exhibit. I got distracted; I was making personal meaning, instead. I love it when nature connects with life as I've experienced it. It's more validating than realizing an old cliche is true. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Even the tree learned that one, year after year after year. I could count it in the rings.

I believe cycles are evidence of God. The revolving process of death and birth of that encompasses everything--all of us. For me it's easy to have faith in that. I know from my own life that after every season of sadness and anguish there has been a rebirth of something more uplifting than I could have imagined. I believe in that and that belief itself has saved me many times. I don't talk about religion or my faith very often. I find the most profound thoughts don't translate to words well. But once I was talking with a friend about death--the afterlife. He was agnostic, scientific, and logical; the type to scoff at the notion of a "heaven" but not to be too concerned about what happened after death. His brain would stop functioning and thus his ability to worry about it. I told him I believed. He looked a bit credulous and waited, skeptically, for my reply. "After each trial in my life, I've been reborn into something more beautiful." I explained, timidly uncovering myself. "I think death is the ultimate human trial, and heaven the ultimate beauty you pass into. It's just the next cycle."

For me believing in God or heaven is as simple as that. There's evidence right there, in the trees.