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This summer I enjoyed a staycation, taking the opportunity, as I walked my dog Truffles, to enjoy greeting my neighbors and investigating my neighborhood.
I discovered a tulip tree growing just a quarter block from my back door. I had heard of tulip trees, so when I saw the yellow flowers shaped -- you guessed it -- like a tulip, I knew exactly what I was seeing. What a surprise to discover the tree, after walking by it almost all my life.
The tree was "hiding in plain sight," as the saying goes. And it isn't a young tree; rather, it is fully grown and well established. Now, I make a point of walking by it every couple of days, checking to see what I've been missing all these years. Those beautiful flowers are now closed, and a hard, green cone shaped pod has formed, which reminds me of the candles our ancestors placed on their Christmas trees.
On one extraordinarily warm afternoon, Truffles and I stood under the tulip tree's canopy of beautiful leaves, finding a brief respite from the blazing sun and even noticing a gentle breeze. I can't help wondering what colors its leaves will become this fall and what beauty I will discover when its branches are bare this winter.
The story of Jacob's dream reminds me of my feelings this spring after discovering the tulip tree.
When Jacob camped overnight at Bethel, he was on his way to Haran, hoping to escape the fury of his brother Esau, who he had cheated out of his birthright blessing. Taking one of the stones he found in this newly discovered place, he put it under his head and lay down.
During the night, Jacob dreamed that a stairway was there, reaching to heaven with the angels of God ascending and descending. He dreamed that the Lord stood beside him and blessed him and his offspring.
When Jacob awoke, he realized: "Surely the Lord is in this place -- and I did not know it…How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." He then vowed, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go…[then] I will come again to my father's house in peace" (Genesis 28:16-21 selected verses, NRSVUE).
My staycation has served to remind me that, as we become more aware of God's blessings, even our most ordinary days become extraordinary. May you, like Jacob, discover God's blessings and God's peace in the people you encounter and the places you find yourself this summer.
Rev. Gwen Bernstine serves as pastor for Lycoming Presbyterian Church in the Chapel of Covenant Central Presbyterian Church