Being in church on Sunday morning, any Sunday morning, is something I have done all of my life.  The first United Methodist Church in San Diego is not very different from the other churches of my life, but there is one difference that reminds me of the importance of my continuing to show up.  The walkway from the Sanctuary to the car is lined with melaleuca trees.  These are the trees that grow in our area, that I don’t remember seeing anywhere else… not even in Singapore; so they are not tropical trees.  I suspect that they are like Eucalyptus Trees, introduced a long time ago to this region because the temperature here is tolerant. I’m guessing they are native to Australia or new Zealand or perhaps to Papua New Guinea.

Anyone who has read my BLOG even occasionally will know that these trees are favorites of mine because they are never the same from one season to the next… as a matter fact, they are not the same from week to week.  Some people don’t like them because they are said to be messy, but perhaps that is the reason I like them.  I have walked back and forth along this walkway at least once each week for years, and every now-and-then I take pictures of the tree trunks.  Today was the day for pictures. 

Later today I will Google Melaleuca to learn more about these trees.  If by the time I’ve read midway through the first paragraph I feel as if the mystery of these trees is being threatened by knowing more about them, I’ll stop reading.  If I learn something that deepens the mystery, I’ll let  you know.  It’s appropriate not to lose the mystery of trees and of church.