I took this photo near Assisi, Italy over eight years ago. It is just up the hill from Poor Clare’s Convent. Her order was the female version of St. Francis of Assisi. But that is not the story for today.
It was one of those mornings what began with misty fog. As I made my way up the cobblestone road beside the convent to this olive grove the sun was beginning to burn off. The air was clear, but the grove was still damp with the mist. Partial sun made the leaves glisten as if they were silver. Needless to say I began snapping photos. These three tress in particular captured my attention. I see them dancing a gracious, long-term, knowing dance of relationship. They are firmly planted. At their age I can only imagine their root systems are deeply intertwined, making them stronger together.
It wasn’t until weeks later when I was home looking over my photos in more detail that I noticed the carving in the left hand tree. I now have a big, framed enlargement of my “dancing trees” that makes it easy to see “Ti Amo…,” which is Italian for I love you.
Discovering this weeks after I took the photo affirmed several things I already sensed. For me, these three trees clearly speak to me of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since then I have spent hours contemplating the love of God within the Trinity and the Trinity’s love for humanity.
Ti Amo… is ‘serendipitously’ carved into a huge scar in the tree. Their sense of motion reminds me of Zephaniah 3:17. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”
Their age displays qualities of enduring love that has been tested through good times and hard times. They have paid a price for life. I imagine they have borne fruit for hundreds of years. Below are a few of many verses about the love of God to meditate on. May you go deeper and find peace as you focus on our Creator who saves us, loves us, quiets us, rejoices and dances over us with gladness.
