Tree of life

I stood looking at the magnificent structure of a tree today as if seeing it for the first time. The base, firmly grounded with its roots extending deep into the soil, is without question a thing of this earth. Like our bodies, which arise from the dust of earth and will surely return to dust again one day, the tree is an earthbound creation of this physical realm. Planted firmly within the ground, the tree draws nutrients and sustenance from the rich, dark earth for its material form. But something else entirely, something unseen, compels the tree to reach upward toward the light.