by Mary Clifford Morrell
Many years ago, while our six sons were young and we were still adventurous, we drive across the country from New Jersey to Montana with our friends and their five children. When we were not taking a headcount, we were often spellbound by the magnificence of Creation that greeted us at every turn, reflecting the nature of our Creator—unlimited generosity, love, and potential.
God uses the lush, rolling hills of Virginia, the mystery of Devil's Tower, the rock art of the Bad Lands, the majestic rises and wildlife of the Grand Tetons, the expansive star-filled night skies of Montana, and everything in-between—the palette of living color and form to gift us with Creation continually.
When we arrived home, and every year since, I have been blessed with an opportunity to reflect on Creation's potential whenever I see the unique weed tree on the corner opposite my house.
It began to grow up between the cracks of cement into the narrow metal track of a street sign, over which it now casts a delightful shadow. It comes to life every spring and has patiently grown from a single stem peeking out over the sign to a lush plant, whose leaf-filled branches belie its very slender trunk hidden within the metal track.
Its life reminds me of all life's potential, and therefore, each of us as God's children.
Sadly, for innumerable reasons, including a tendency to focus on our imperfections, many of us forget our divine nature, including the potential to grow even in the most challenging circumstances. Too often, our potential goes unmet, even unrecognized. Our creative spirit is often sublimated, and we feel sad or incomplete, not understanding why.
However, like the weed tree growing to new heights in the street sign, when we know who we are and what we were meant for, our need to grow will push us to break out in one way or another.
We are meant to live our divine nature, to live in communion with our God and each other. Our lives and our world could be healed and made whole if we could recover our sense of being sacred and recognize that wholeness and holiness are the same.
As we enter the New Year, which is always a time for hope, we might allow ourselves to be spellbound by the magnificence of Creation and remember that we are a part of the gift. We have the potential to grow and blossom within what may seem like the many cracks of our lives.
We can begin by having faith in ourselves and remembering the words of Saint Francis de Sales: "Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them — every day begin the task anew."
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.