Photo was taken during the week near the weir at Ballincollig, Regional Park, Co.Cork (Irl)

Despite a tree after falling into the River Lee, it is still very much alive, pushing forth new leaves and getting on with life despite an obvious setback.

Thought on Saturday – May – 04/05/2013

‘Life is give and take. We gift our love and are gifted with goodness. If we don’t give and take in our everyday lives then we have nothing to aspire or model to. Give and take it’s the gift to life.’ ~Jasmina Siderovski


There is an old fable in which the mighty oak tree which stood for over one hundred years finally was blown over by a storm. The tree fell into a river that floated it downstream until it came to rest among the reeds growing along the riverbank. The fallen giant asked the reeds in amazement, “How is it that you were able to weather the storm that was too powerful for me, an oak tree, to withstand?”
The reeds replied, “All these years you stubbornly resisted the winds that swept your way. You took such pride in your strength that you refused to yield, even a little bit. We, on the other hand, have not resisted the winds, but have always bent with them. We recognized the superior power of the wind and so, the harder the wind blew the more we humbled ourselves before it.”

Are we like the oak tree at times, stubborn, strong willed with little flexibility? Like the reeds can we be more flexible with the mistakes and shortcomings of family and friends? With the Gospel message in one hand can we be as strong as an oak tree but also have the flexibility of the reed in respecting different viewpoints? In Ireland at the moment, with so many wanting to express different viewpoints on the draft legislation to the ‘Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill’, the above fable is one to keep in mind. Hopefully everyone on both sides will get a fair chance to express an opinion, a concern or a difference be they right or wrong.