By Samantha McKenzie

If we pay close attention to nature, she will tell her story.

I’ve long admired the redwood trees that stand strong and tall. They live for thousands of years and can grow to heights over 300 feet. Their appearance speaks for themselves. If you’re ever in their presence, you’re bound to feel small. They are majestic.

But here recently, I’ve fallen in love with the story of the trees that bend, but don’t break. Like the palm tree that spends most of its day supplying shade to visitors and gently swaying to the rhythm of the ocean’s breeze. It reminds me of vacation and summer and everything good about life. But when strong winds arrive, and those harsh storms come rumbling in, that same tree bows gracefully into submission. Similar to the bamboo tree,  which after a storm has passed, bounces back to its original position.

We are the trees that bend, but do not break.

Many of us are going through stormy times right now. For some, we have had our fair share of rainy days. We’ve had to weather through a personal dilemma or brave through devastation. We’ve all witnessed the aftermath of destruction.

If you reflect back on those times, you may recall your ability to be resilient. You made it through to see another day. Whether you held to your faith that ‘this too shall pass’ or you ordered your own footsteps to carry on, you found a way to survive your storm.

When I quit my job last year, I bent. When my loved one was suffering with an illness, I bent. When you lost your house, your car, your wealth, your spouse, you bent. This is a part of every person’s story. We bend, but never break.

Life will offer us an opportunity to bow gracefully. It may persistently push us to bend. It sometimes will even force us to stoop all the way down to the ground. But it won’t leave you there. Instead, it’ll require you to be pliable, to curve, to flex, and to adapt to the strong winds that are beyond your control.

And when it’s over, you will bounce back to your original position. You will stand erect, stronger than before. You will learn how to wait out the storm. You will wink at your agility.

Be like the trees that bend. They never break.