“The Sounds of the Trees” by Reva Lachica Moore

There are times when I yearn for a moment to be alone. When there are no people, no traffic, no appointments, no to-do lists, no errands to run. And before all energy is drained. When I could just sit in complete quietude and look at the trees, the flowers, the birds and the sky.

This morning I had that moment, or so I thought. After dawn has just started to break. While the dew drops still glazed the leaves and the flowers. And before the sun started to scorch everything in sight. Before the noise of neighbors’ cars permeated our circle – I went to the garden and sat under an oak, to pray and meditate.

I’ve always felt that we have the best of both worlds. We live close to the city, yet far enough from it – where nature reigns supreme. Where the tall, majestic trees block the din of the busy interstate a mile away. Many people seek mental quietude through varied ways. Some through yoga; others with earphones or headphones listening to music – designed to give peace of mind. Or by being absorbed in a book, trying to forget whirlwind schedules, or money problems, or relationship woes and the like.

Even Jesus left the multitude to seek quietude. He went to the garden to be alone. To seek peace and find time to talk with His Father.
As I sat there, I thought I had complete tranquility, but I did not. The sounds of the trees pervaded my surroundings. Nature’s Melody. Or Noise? Relaxing, soothing sounds from Mother Nature in concert, if you didn’t mind it. There must be millions of insects in the trees and on the ground: Crickets, cicadas, grasshoppers, beetles, wasps, other insects – invisible but loud. A field cricket sang from behind the tree trunk. A yellow jacket passed by beating its wings. Buzzing bumblebees were feeding on the honeysuckles. Their melodies and choruses had pitch and tempo.

Even Jesus left the multitude to seek quietude. He went to the garden to be alone. To seek peace and find time to talk with His Father. As I sat there, I thought I had complete tranquility, but I did not. The sounds of the trees pervaded my surroundings. Nature’s Melody. Or Noise? Relaxing, soothing sounds from Mother Nature in concert, if you didn’t mind it. There must be millions of insects in the trees and on the ground: Crickets, cicadas, grasshoppers, beetles, wasps, other insects – invisible but loud. A field cricket sang from behind the tree trunk. A yellow jacket passed by beating its wings. Buzzing bumblebees were feeding on the honeysuckles. Their melodies and choruses had pitch and tempo.

The sounds would start from one tree, then from another, and others join in to become a bittersweet symphony, with the invisible wind as their conductor. Then a tree becomes quiet, followed by others; then seconds later, they suddenly become alive again, one after another. A dove coos like a solo flute. A woodpecker does drum rolls nearby while other birds chirp, squawk, and cry. This went on endlessly.

Their sounds were soothing for a while to some extent, but their nonstop reverberations somewhat robbed me of complete quietude – the type of silence where I could hear a pin drop. No wonder why Robert Frost in his poem, “The Sound of the Trees,” wrote these words:

I wonder about the trees.
Why do we wish to bear?
Forever the noise of these
More than another noise
So close to our dwelling place?
We suffer them by the day
Till we lose all measure of pace,
And fixity in our joys,
And acquire a listening air.

I wrote this Sharing Time many years ago when I was still working fulltime – too busy to see God’s awesome creation all around me. This time though, God amazes me with what I see from our backdoor every day.

Psalms 104:24 “How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.