… Hurricane Ian hit.
One year ago, right about the time I am posting this the eye was passing. The previous 4 hours had torn the back of the roof to shreds and removed everything in the backyard. Everything was gone. Now it was time for the backside of the storm to take out the front side.
I made a quick trip outside in the intermediate lull, only to realize it wasn’t over. Now it was going to get worse. The backside brought with it a 15-foot storm surge which had begun and would last for the next five hours. Thankfully the core structure seemed intact.
Taking a breath and realizing everyone would feed from my vibe, I said a prayer for mercy, retreated to the hunker down position and reassured.
Internally I knew a purposeful God was reminding me of my selfish insignificance. I knew things would be different tomorrow. I was watching the physical landscape where my youth unfolded, forever changed; much of it erased completely.
The trees which once held the swings and forts for youthful triumphs, felled by nature’s fury and soon thereafter turned to mulch. Their trunks and branches now landscape mulch for a coming McMansion; a person with no similar attachment.
And so it goes…. And so, it goes. An apropos metaphor for life, and a not subtle reminder that we are temporarily living it.
If my younger self had known a clock was counting down, perhaps the kid would have paused under the shade of the old banyans and thanked them. Then again, it really wouldn’t be childhood if we carried such weighty concerns. I am forever thankful I never carried that weight, and simultaneously today I cherish each breeze with a newfound appreciation for what I did not know.
It is easy to lose our sense of optimism. Retaining a joyful perspective while everything around us seems mad isn’t easy. However, if you accept that you can create something just a little bit better by making a choice, then you have accomplished a great deal.
If you are reading this, you likely had no idea how much your prayers and support carried me starting one year ago, tomorrow.
I am blessed and thankful. I cherish you.
I have long felt that life is like a series of links in a chain. You might be driving down the road and you hear a song on the radio, or see a picture, and you feel a memory….
Something triggers within you that reminds of a different time and place than where you are right now.
You reflect.
The memories you consider remind you of a totally different time in your life.
Perhaps you lived in a different place. Perhaps you were surrounded by different people. Perhaps a different job or completely different friends. You recognize those memories were constructed like frozen moments in time. They became individual links in the chain in your life.
We never actually realize, in the immediate moment, when one link closes and another link begins. But when we look back, we can clearly see distinct points where things changed, the link closed, and a new link began.
You see, the links are only visible in reflection.
As we reflect, we find parts of the chain in our life where each link closes and connects with the other. A beginning, and an end. At the point where the links are joined, we carry parts of the previous link forward to the next.
For many people those connections are bonded by family, or very strong lifelong relationships. Connections which continue beyond our geographic moments, jobs or temporary acquaintances.
But for everyone, the primary bonding agent brought forward from one link to the next is us, our center, our values and core principles. Our beliefs.
The strength of the steel which comprises the links of our life is forged in the fire of adversity, weakness, challenge, pain, loss, and painful growth. The steel is then cooled with the tears of triumph, hurdles overcome and resolve.
The forging makes the steel stronger and able to withstand the pressures that accompany the additional length. Slowly the chain becomes wiser as it lengthens. Able to reach further, form more significant benefits and become more useful.
Hope replaces fear. Love replaces loneliness. Success replaces adversity. These are successful links began and finished while contributing to the whole.
At times we may manipulate the links with avoidance. We hide from -or choose to avoid- an issue in our effort to begin a new link before the old one was naturally, and spiritually, prepared to be closed.
Eventually, as life continues and the chain lengthens, the weak link can fracture, and we are forced to revisit/repair what we originally chose to avoid.
You see, in life we cannot control the universal laws that guide us. So, if we manipulate circumstances to avoid confronting our own weakness, we cannot fully strengthen our life of links. Eventually, the weakness of our past will impact our future.
So, what principles do we carry from link to link? What core values and beliefs stay with us throughout the journey of our lives? The answers to these questions are what makes us human spiritual beings.
We possess freewill able to make choices about what we do, and how we define our individual humanity; but can we then define ’right’ and ‘wrong’ according to our individual principles? Or are there principles that exceed our influence and definition?
Are there natural laws of right and wrong, good and bad, that cannot be subjected to the determination of man?
These are the bigger questions, perhaps the more important questions; and yet, perhaps the ones we reflect upon the least.
Consider the example of the ‘Law of the farm’ vs. the ‘Law of the School’. Natural principles vs. those made by man.
A student can skip class, take few notes, pay only half attention, then stay up all night cramming for a test and manage a decent grade. It depends on the student’s goal: grades or learning.
The student can choose to manipulate the education, by avoiding the learning and capturing the grade. This is possible in the ‘Law of the School’.
However, a farmer cannot take short cuts. A farmer cannot avoid tending to the soil, preparing the seed, fertilizing and nurturing the crop, and still gain the benefit of an abundant harvest.
The farmer must necessarily do all of the appropriate work in order to benefit from it. Such is the ‘Law of the Farm’, the natural law.
When one considers the weakness remaining within a poorly constructed and manipulated link, perhaps established by selfish choices and driven by avoidance and fear, one can be faithfully assured those who have dealt dishonestly with us will have to visit the issues of their association again.
Conversely, no amount of manipulation or avoidance on our own behalf is going to improve the frailty of any link without first resolving the lack of character which created the weakness.
So, we have choices in our lives. Decisions we each make regarding how we interact and participate in the lives and links of others, as well as how we choose to construct the links that comprise our own lives.
Do we base our sense of purpose around natural principles? Principles based on natural laws of right and wrong, good and bad, truth and lies. Do we forge strong links by following our heart, our values?
If we can interact with others absent of a prideful self-driven agenda, or manipulative intent, we can then apply such principles and strength to our endeavors.
If we protect the integrity of the soil upon which we build the foundation of our lives, we can live without regret.
If we fertilize and cherish our crop, and the crop of our neighbor, with honesty and sincere appreciation for the souls we meet along our chosen path, we will live a life of abundance.
If we tend carefully to the consideration of everyone, yet holding true to our values and principles, we can strengthen ourselves amid the face of adversity and disenchantment.
If we do not hide from, nor ignore our individual and collective faults, we can build the chain of our life with strength, humility, and purpose.
I wish for each of you a long chain of bold, strong, beautiful links, polished with the reflective brilliance of Love..
Thank you for your fellowship!
Steadfast,
~ Sundance
We cherish you, too, Sundance.
Possibly more than you could ever know🙏🏻
Yes…cherishing you that day, SD, and doing our best to manage our own anxiety as we waited for the silence to end and for a note from the admins that would let us know they had heard from you.
Amen and Amen!
Sure do, and quite frankly I don’t know how you do it, thankful that you do..
Ditto, Xavier. I haven’t completely gotten over the loss of Rush. Losing Sundance is just unthinkable…..thank ful for you, Sundance, and all your crew!
YES….I miss RUSH, too. The good die too young + SUNDANCE….Please live on +
I’ve thought the same thing more times than I can count. We’re blessed to have Sundace share his knowledge with us.
Many thanks and blessings to you and yours Sundance!
And another Amen.
Almighty God has his back, Xavier. I’ve never been as certain of anything as I am of this.
🙏💕
I concur with you Betsy…😀👍..I have done lots of reflection on my 88 yrs .. more since wife past…the culture I grew up in was full of examples of men I did NOT want to emulate…and I never did..reading SD’s chain analogy I could fit it to my life.. so I easily identify with it..so thank you SD …👍👍
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How fortunate are we, dear Jim, to have been directed…I don’t say “found”…to this site? Especially during these dark days.
CS Lewis called men like Sundance “men with chests”.
I can’t think of a finer example of that wonderful reference. I’m certain Mr Lewis would agree.
Betsy, well said…your post gave me goose bumps, and like SD, I thank you for your fellowship.
What a beautiful thing to say, Jeem. Thank you. You are most welcome. Fellowship is what we have here. All of us friends who care for one another. Like souls whose roads have crossed. Blessed is the word I want, because I truly believe we are in each other’s company. 🕊
🙏💕
Absolutely…well said Betsy!
Forever thankful for the knowledge, foresight and wisdom. I am beyond glad, grateful and happy that your home, family and “beautiful links” are hopefully intact Sundance…THANK YOU!
Oh AMEN!!
Amen.
We love, because HE first loved us. Our values flow from the God of the Universe WHO has forged our character thru HIS WORD.
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— let your mind dwell on these things.
So beautiful, my friend. Amen.
Thank you Betsy … your words of encouragement mean a lot to me … because I read the strength of your character and loving heart every day. You are such a model of God’s character. So positive. So funny. So REAL.
SD’s chain analogy is perfectly descriptive of my life … esp. my youth which was less than ideal, with multiple divorces, anger, bitterness, and trying to survive 6 different elementary schools … bounced around in the most unusual custody changes. When at age 10 … my own birth mother told the court she no longer wanted to raise her two boys. She gave custody back to my alcoholic father who was living with his mother. At the time it really hurt … that my own mother would send her boys away. But in hindsight … it was the BEST thing for my brother and I as my grandmother was wealthy and disciplined. My brother and I were good kids … but my grandmothers demanding personality that was difficult to handle … ended up making my brother and I … much better people. And in the ensuing years there were many more CRUCIAL links in my life … and each of those links … were people. People who changed my life for the better. Oh … and there are some really bad links too …such as my first wife leaving with no notice or hint. I came home from work on a Friday looking forward to a fun weekend … opened the front door and the apartment was EMPTY. Nothing. Nada. No furniture, no pictures on the wall, no dishes in the cupboards, nothing but my clothes in the closet. She took everything. That link REALLY was forged in high strength steel
And then you turned your face to God! But then He always had you in the palm of His hand you know.
I can only imagine the trials you’ve been through, my dear friend, for that is what you’ve become. And while I am so sorry, would you be here through any other route? Who’s to say? But this I know…you are such a special part of this Tree, Kenji, and I am so glad you discovered a home in this wonderful Tree.
I can’t think of any adequate words to say to you for your kind response to me. Except I love you, too, my friend. And I thank you most sincerely. Bless you always 💕🙏🏻
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Thank you, Kenji…it is so good to be reminded to dwell on the true and noble. I pray we all remember this when we see it, but especially when we don’t!
It is we who are Blessed to have you to help us see truth, to help guide us through some dark times and to encourage us in this journey called life. Thank you for all you do and share. May the Good Lord Bless You and Keep You Safe in your journey.
Oh my, hanson_Charli! I think I need to open a new box of tissues…please believe me when I say I thrive on the friendships I’ve been fortunate to make here. Everyone is so precious to me…every single one. Thank you.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I cannot improve upon your awesomely correct reply.
Thank you for starting the thread with a perfect summation of the feelings among (I suspect) the majority of the Treehouse.
Hey, dear friend. I’ve missed you. Thank you. I struggle sometimes to put my words together, but this one was so easy. It really was.
It’s hard to say how much this site means into me. An absolute refuge we wouldn’t have were it not for our good and brilliant, dedicated host with a first class brain. But moreover, I am in awe of his ability to dissect and explain the incredible amounts of information that most here would only stare at, wondering where on earth to start to make sense of it.
But this also…this is truly teamwork. Sundance is the face we know and love. But he is so ably supported by the finest, most hardworking behind the scenes group of friends who we seldom see.
We know you’re there Menagerie, Ad rem, Stella, and Weeweed!!
We do not take you for granted ever! Please accept our deep gratitude for keeping the shop running so smoothly. We love you all 😘🤗
Good morning Betsy. Appreciate your sentiment but I’ve been visiting the threads daily, often late in the day by the time I get to CTH. I read through most comments and often don’t see a need to add my 2 cents to most comments sections when Treepers have pretty much expressed my views on the topic as well as or often better than I could.
Yes, I include the group of Admins in my prayers for Sundance and the “team”. But I’m also thinking of the large family of Treepers who engage daily in most articles and especially the Open Thread. It truly is a family of like-minded friends (like-minded, not clones) that keep the site familiar, human, and engaging..
CTH is a large, I dare say “international” community.
Sundance and several here are experiencing the phenomenon described so aptly, first by Jesus Christ, then a bit later by Paul McCartney…”And in the end, the love you take (i.e., get) is equal to the love you make (i.e., give).”
Morning, GB. We are indeed an international community. Scotland England, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Holland, Israel…those are the countries I know from which we have commenting Treepers. Who knows how many who simply read. So yes…you do dare say it and are correct.
And yes, what one gives, one gets back a hundred, a thousand (!!!) fold. Giving, not taking…would those who think it’s the other way around understand they could be so much richer if they’d just do that.
Blessings to you, my friend, and to your family. I’m going to show my face now on the Open Thread to say good morning and see what the night. owls have been up to…wish I could spend all day there 😉 See you anon…
❤️👍
A lesson for the ages. Bless you Sundance, today and always, for your wisdom and grace
Your writing is beautiful, and your sentiment is power. Thank you for providing this space to feel stronger every day.
Hear hear!
Too bad our “ Never Back Down” Governor is too big to show and remember
If you are too big to do small things, you are too small to do big things.
We get through tough times together by carrying the weight. When one gets tired and stumbles, another picks up the load. Jesus fell under the weight of his cross too and also received help. He showed us the way first.
Having lost both parents in the last two years, reading this article naturally made me wish I had been more assertive in manifesting my love for them while they were still with me.
I guess I’ll have to carry that reminder on to the others I love who are still with me.
God’s blessings continue to be with you Sundance; you have been a huge blessing to me and many others.
Rest assured they knew. A parent always knows.
So sorry for your loss.
No matter what kind of parents you have/had you still love them.
They knew…so sorry for your losses. Most sincerest and heartfelt condolences.
I am so glad you and yours were spared.
And are thankful for yo ur blessings instead of something more dark.
Thank you and bless you!
Psalm 23
Thank you, Sundance, for being a brick in the house that we now cherish because of the memories that dwell within it.
There are always storms and then the grace of a new day, until your time comes to leave this earth.
Live your best life now!
You cannot live the future
And you cannot live the past
Though when you live the present
You realize that it won’t last.
Remember… death is not extinguishing the light – it is putting out the candle because the dawn has come.
Rejoice in The LORD! Again I say REJOICE!
What an uplifting message Sundance. I have had many broken links in my chain that need repaired. I have some right now that should be looked at. This message of avoidance hit me square in the chest. I must not avoid those link hardening moments.
My time with God shallow and infrequent. My first link that desperately needs attention.
Thanks for the reminders and encouragement.
DD
I’ve been a steadfast fan of the Treehouse ever since COVID crashed the party on my 75th birthday, Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Your posts have kept me going through this time. The years since have passed very quickly but I thoroughly enjoy reading your daily essays observing the weird political scene unfolding before us. We have friends and family who suffered great losses from Ian, but fortunately no loss of life. We used to vacation down at N Fort Meyers, up the river at an old condominium (can’t come up with the name right now) not too far from where the I-75 bridge crosses the river. Had fun on a friend’s lovely ’44 sailboat, “Far Niente.” Just a memory now. Wishing you every good thing and that our hero DJT will conquer the evil ones while we’re still around to enjoy it! Keep up the good work. Cheers, Dr. Dre
❤️
You are respected, appreciated and supported beyond measure.
There is Power in the name of Jesus 🙏🏼
Sundance, your comments are a reflection of the strength of your spirit and character. I remember, your heart felt love and concern, for those affected by the destruction of the hurricane. God and our fellow man, are so important during those times. Many contributed their time, to make things a little better for those who needed it most. It’s been a year, but the memories remain.
Gee, Sundance, you’re making me nervous. Are you okay? Did the doctor give you some bad news? I pray for you every day. I’ll light a candle for you in church this Sunday.
The Prayers didn’t start that day. They got a little louder is all. And they continue, daily. God Bless and Keep you Sundance.
So true
Amen
✝️
Having lived through a few of the TS’s and a few hurricanes, Irma being the one that came closest, I much appreciate your sentiment.
Ironically, my relatives in North Georgia got more damage from Irma than I did in the Tampa area. Funny how God works.
I am glad you’re reporting the truth SD….keep it coming, we have your six!
Seen the power of a hurricane in person. Agnes hit the North East like a locomotive. Streams a few yards wide became rivers. A local expressway 20 ft above a small stream was underwater. We were lucky because it was an urban neighborhood and deaths were few.
God Bless you and thank you, Sundance – and the entire Conservative Tree House community.
I have learned so much from this blog, and I value you, your insight and intellect. I cherish you and everything you’ve done to bring sunlight to our situation. I just can’t imagine my day without you.
Thank you.
Such warm words. Needed by many. Thanks Sundance for sharing them.
Thank you.
A trillion times over, thank you.
God Bless you and yours.
You have such a wonderful way with words and this is so prescient and true. What a blessing to have you with us. Thank you Sundance
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Thank you for this poignant reminder. Right after the storm, I spent about four months salvaging the house. The next three months were spent pretty much cleaning up the front and removing glass from the garden and lawn. In April, I said to my personal trainer, do you want me to just call you and cancel every week while I work in the garden in the back and clear the 4 foot debris field or do you want to help? She said she was in and I could not have done it without her. The back garden looks fabulous. I got my 50% permit to rebuild July 24. I am deeply hopeful for drywall in the next 2 to 3 weeks. Life is good. God is good.
Sundance, WE are blessed and thankful. WE cherish you. 🙏🏻
Beautifully written.
If only our so called representatives could be as reflective. After you listen to Trump or read Sundance it makes you realize what puny pissants the Uni-Party bullshitters are..
Last night’s debate was a disgrace, they should be embarrassed but they aren’t.
Our community, very much in the eye of Ian, held a get together today to remember that day and the aftermath. We enjoyed beautiful weather and the company of neighbors. Still waiting for roof repairs, etc.
“Tears are your heart speaking….when there are no words”- Don’t know the author but that’s what your writing
does to me sometimes. You sir are a God send.
Onward…and upward!
Sometimes memories roll down my cheeks.
Beautifully written, Sundance. Thank you!
Oh man that brought tears.
I remember praying and asking the Lord to spare you, save you, cover you.
It’s a mystery to me why the Lord takes one person and leaves another.
But for those of us He spared, it means we have His work to do.
Thank you Sundance.
God bless and keep you and yours, Sundance. Have followed you since George Zimmerman and will follow you until the lights go out.
Thank you for everything. Your steadfastness has kept me going more than you’ll ever know.
Grateful for your safety in the storm, for your strong voice in this beautiful writing, and for the example of your faith and optimism. God Bless!
You have no idea how much your site means to me and how it has become such a HUGE part of my life — you have provided comfort, optimism, truth, camaraderie and fellowship. I donate as often as I can because I do not watch television and I no longer pay for newspapers. You are my go to everyday and I can never thank you enough — you have provided me a true refuge. God bless you and your entire family/staff.
And the chain goes way back, long before birth.
I often think of the demands on you, Sundance. Every day you faithfully post here…..every day, no vacations, even among the other demands of life and continuing to research and read so many sources for the future. I think about that at times – that it must be tough some days.
Thank you for your wisdom and today’s beautiful thoughts.
You said it better than anyone, Belle! God Bless you as well as Sundance, all the Treepers and especially our
TRUE PRESIDENT—DONALD J. TRUMP!
You’re the best! My life runs before my eyes as I read this.
Thank God for all of our blessings.
This one is definitely going in my keep and re-read as needed file. Thank you Sundance and everyone else who lichens upon the branches here. God Bless
I’m more like Old Man’s Beard on the branches here so the lichens and mosses are my friends. That’s what makes this little
patch a joy and a treat. So much love, information and TRUTH!
God Bless you,and all your crew, Sundance.
I will continue to pray for you, as I do for all brothers and sisters here. Please
pray for me. May God have mercy on us, amen. Thank you
Thank you
Hurricane Clinton-Obama has been a very slow moving incredibly destructive storm and the Reconstruction feels like being back on Tara in 1866
“Perhaps I want the old days back again, and they’ll never come back, and I am haunted by the memory of them and of the world falling about my ears.”
Bless you Sundance.
🙏🙏
I’m having trouble describing how much this site means to me without getting mushy mouthed. Sundance you have become a mainstay of my day. You have no equal. Treepers, yall rock!
“The past is a foreign country – they do things differently there.” I find this quote to be profound and enigmatic. I, for one, miss the way things were done years ago. But time stops for no one and we must keep moving forward trusting in God.
Back at ya kiddo. Love this place and so glad you and yours made it thru that horrible storm …..
Bless you SD.
Beautifully written…heartful. Peace with you…and all who are with CTH!
Keep On KEEPING ON
Sundance
Right there with you, brother Sundance.
God bless and protect you as well as those closest to you and who support you firsthand.
Amen.
You are the shit. We love you for all you do. God bless you and yours, as well as your house and community!
Sundance, in particular of course, but this entire tree community — is such an enriching, soothing constant in so many of our lives. It is beyond price. We are educated, enlightened, challenged, and nourished on a daily basis. God bless this tree and it’s multitude of branches!
God Bless and continued good fortune
-we had a Great day on FMB – gorgeous day , brilliant sunset with Rainbow over island –
#Blessed and Grateful
We live to embrace another day and fight on