Here is the wind tree:
This tree might not look like very much from the pictures. But then again, a fabulous diamond pictured from an unflattering angle would look pretty dull too. The wind tree grows at altitudes above 1500 feet and is a close cousin to the "burning bush" that Moses saw. (At least in my book.)
Enchantment:
Imagine yourself walking down a path in a forest and hearing the wind rustling in the trees. You look up and notice the deep blue sky and the leaves tossing and dancing with each other. But then you observe that only the wind tree is moving with the breeze: how mysterious for God to make a tree that responds to the slightest breeze, while the others remain unresponsive.
Palo de Viento:
In the mountains above Sabaneta there lies an entire paraje or section of land with the name "Palo de viento"... but only the name remains from a past when the mountainsides were covered with a thick stand of wind trees. When you discover how precious the tree is; how it attracts honey bees and other insects, then you begin to appreciate the loss that engulfs the land that once belonged to the "Palo de viento".
Gadgets:
Yesterday a grandmother complained about her grandson and how he devotes hours to Nintendo, Power Rangers, and other video games. She laments his fall into the world of "gadgets" or digital pleasures. Like a seesaw... as the attraction for artificial enhancements grows, the ability to perceive wonder in the natural world diminishes. Will future human beings be so removed from the simple pleasures of forest and wind that they could walk through a majestic stand of unique tree species, and be aware only of the latest song on their ipod or suffering through the break from the "new" XBox entertainment?
God in the mystery of life:
As our future generations gain perspective of the whole Earth and study it from the cold blackness of space, as they compare Mars, Venus and the moons of Saturn to their home planet, I believe they will become sentinels of the miraculous life emerging forth from mother Earth. God will open our eyes once again to rediscover how precious are the living beings on our planet. For the time being, the wind tree calls us into a world of mystery far more luminous than the most profound digital mix of sound and light. The wind tree stands to be admired as it points to a Creator far beyond the bounds of our preconceptions and time worn religious concepts.
