Page 22 - Salesian Bulletin 2016 [01] January-March

Finding God in the Unexpected
—Elizabeth McArdle, Flemingstown, Balrath, Navan, Co. Meath.
car, I pass under a hazel tree. E
Our ancestors would not have treated a hazel tree so casually. They depended on its generosity for their quality of life and they believed it had protective powers, especially in winter. Its strong flexible rods were used for the construction of their homes and to fence in their precious livestock. Hazel nuts were one of the foods associated with early settlements of Mesolithic people in Ireland, some 9,000 years ago.
result in greater unawareness of God’s wonderful world around us. Our focus is on advancing forward and that which is on either side, like the hazel tree, can go unseen.
ach time I leave my home, be it on foot, on my bicycle or in the
For many years, thirty to be exact, it has blessed me in summer with its leafy-green shade, in autumn with hazelnuts and in winter with the delight of its feathery yellow catkins. If one of my friends were to shower me with such abundant all year round kindness, I would feel like the most cherished person in the universe. However, in my dash to get from A to B, I often whizz past the hazel tree and barely notice its gentle energy and healing presence.
As our modern lives move onward it can seem that the pace of life gets faster and faster. Some of us respond with even more haste which can
It is now time to take time: to move more slowly in an effort to appreciate the extraordinary everyday which is filled with God’s wonder. It could be beautiful cloud formations, a sun shower or a tiny child. Whatever it is, our lives will be transformed for the better as we begin to recognize God’s unexpected miracles all around us.
22 SDB
SHUTTERSTOCK/INGRIDHS