Our Christmas tree is now on the curb with the rest of the 33 million trees Americans bought this year (according to the National Christmas Tree Association). I’m feeling guilty of course (don’t all depressives?) for not being a better steward of the earth, but the evergreen is such a lovely and expressive symbol for me at this time of year, that I couldn’t imagine our home without one.

Deep in the belly of winter’s death, the evergreen cries out with a voice of hope, continuity, and stability. Just as my moods are like the winter wind–crazy and unpredictable–God is like the evergreen: forever alive and constant, beautiful and dependable. Sometimes on dreary January or February days, I’ll sit at the back window of our house with a cup of coffee and gaze at the five evergreens that line our back fence. To me, they say something similar to this poem written by Teresa of Avila:

“Let nothing disturb you;
Let nothing make you afraid;
All things pass;
But God is unchanging,
Patience is enough for everything.
You who have God lack nothing.
God alone is sufficient.”