One thing I love about living in the South is that I’m surrounded by big, beautiful trees. My little ones love it too. In fact, on a recent trip to Chicago, my 3 year old daughter stepped off the plane and asked, “Where are all the TWees?” 

TWees are plentiful in Georgia. Fragrant magnolias, towering pines, weeping willows… 

When I was preparing to launch my own practice a few months ago, I searched for DAYS for an image for my website and my business card. I wanted something that represented growth, health and HOPE.  I scrolled through hundreds of images - the vast ocean, cascading waterfalls, vivid sunrises… All lovely. All inspiring. But nothing captured exactly what I was looking for.

And then I found one…

An Oak Tree. A beautiful, majestic, Live Oak tree. Planted by a stream. Standing tall and confident.  It’s branches spread wide and strong. 

Why do I love this image so much? (Glad you asked!)

Let me share a couple of things about Oak trees that you might not know. 

Oak trees survive for hundreds of years. Not by luck, but because their roots are so amazing. When Oak trees are young, they spend a lot of time developing their root systems. That’s why they are considered by many to be “slow growers.” But in fact, they aren’t slow at all. They are just spending their time growing DOWN so that by the time they’re ready to grow UP, they’re prepared. Storms, floods and even fires have a difficult time taking down oak trees because, below the earth, their roots are secure and in tact. 

It is because of their roots that Great Oaks THRIVE.

Now…have you ever seen a tree planted next to a sidewalk and noticed its roots pushing up through the concrete? That tree WANTS to grow tall and wide, but has little chance to do so because it’s soil (and location) is insufficient. And while it might survive for little while, a harsh wind can easily topple it.

And so it is with us - we need a proper place to ROOT in order to thrive. But, many of us have attempted to root ourselves in places that will not sustain or nourish us. 

We root ourselves in fortune, success, beauty, approval, belonging to the right club, being accepted by the right people..the list goes on. We exhaust ourselves trying to dig deep and sprout strong, but when the storms of life come, we grow weary - and sometimes - we’re knocked down completely.

I love children’s books. There’s a lot of wisdom packed in those pages! One of my favorites is Max Lucado’s, “The Oak inside the Acorn.” In it, the mother tree lovingly tells her tender, scared little acorn, “Within you is a GREAT OAK. Just be the tree God made you to be.” 

It’s a little embarrassing to cry while reading a child’s book, but I’ll admit…tears fall EVERY TIME I read that line.

So, I encourage you, dear reader, to believe that WITHIN YOU IS A GREAT OAK. But you must root yourself in soil where you can BECOME the tree God MADE YOU TO BE.