I had an opportunity to be at a retreat home last week. The open chapel in the campus brought memories of visiting similar chapels, in retreat homes earlier. Its simple decor and quiet ambience surrounded by tall trees and plants on all sides, give it an ambience of hiddenness suiting those who seek interior silence and solitude. The bird calls around the chapel fall in one's ears gently as if the birds too join in to create the message of silence to a seeker's soul. I felt a consciousness of how such a place creates readiness to be in God's presence and feel rested!
As I walked out of the chapel, I noticed two Acasia plants on either side of the chapel at its entrance, one larger than the other. I have reasons to think that both were planted at the same time. My enquiry from those whom I asked about it, did not give me any conclusive indication of why they were different in growth, although planted together.
As I walked into the garden, I noticed an excavated place where the roots of the three trees were exposed. Each tree had a separate root system and this was expressed in its stem. The first tree had its trunk just above the root system looking damaged with the bark not covering the tree circumferantially.
The growth and structure of a tree is determined by its root system and the soil surrounding it. One can learn about the biography of a tree, which reflect the root system and the soil around it.
From the chapel when I moved out, seeing the two different growth profile of the Acasia trees, I carried a sense of curiosity about the causal factor for this difference. Seeing the root system introduced me to a new consciousness about the soil around a tree.
A day before this visit, I happened to be with parents who spoke about their children and the different experiences which they have about their growing up. Each family has a different nurturing ambience. It is in a family every child is rooted. I became more aware of the family ambiences which get influenced by different experiences and transitions.
I wonder if families can take time once a month or so to look at the modifiable factors to optimise the wellness and nurture of children!
I wish there was a more evident and sustained family nurture programme initiated by organisations or places where they work. Every parent needs that preparation and enablement to be functional and relational to their children, for which they deserve a formative support from their work place, as most people spend eight or more hours in their work place. The wellness of the people working for an organisation ought to include the wellness of their family life.
From my experience, most of the efforts of the human resource department converge towards optimising the wellness of people at work place and do not transcend to matters pertaining to their home or family life!
I wish every organisation, will have a Family Life Programme which fosters formation of families and nurture of children! The formation of children till adulthood needs greater attention in our work places.
I know of organisations where there are family chaplains, who focus on the family life of the people working in that organisation!
The two Acasia trees outside the chapel looked different. Seeing the root system of other trees, my thought meandered in this direction about nurturing children in their home ambience.
The first time I got acquainted with the root system of trees was at the Ecumenical Christian Centre, Whitfield in 1981, where they had several roots of trees in display, to introduce to the visitors about the life of trees below the ground and their presence in the soil to receive enough to express its phenotype! Rev Dr M.J.Joseph, a retired director of this organisation often writes about ecological effects on human life on earth. He is a strong advocate for friendliness towards trees and woods.
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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