Friday, January 2, 2009

"The Patriarch"


Suffering from a mild case of cabin fever today, my husband and I decided to take a day trip to Biloxi, MS. He wanted to go to a restaurant we had never been to called Mary Mahoneys . This restaurant is a very old, well established, family owned business. It has survived more hurricanes than you can shake a stick at...including hurricanes Camille in 1969 and Katrina in 2005.

He seemed to be anxious for us to walk around the side of the building, to the court yard. I was puzzled because we had never been here before and he kept saying he wanted me to "see something". As we entered the courtyard my eyes rested on this BEAUTIFUL butterfly sitting right next to a lovely old oak tree! What a surprise! Apparently, he had heard on the news that an artist had gifted this establishment with this lovely work of art. Knowing how much I love butterflies, he wanted me to see it. Hence, the real reason for the day trip! What a nice surprise!

After admiring the butterfly, I got to observing the oak tree it was next to. The sign on the tree said "The Patriarch". The restaurant website states this Live Oak tree is 2000 years old! I began to think about how strong and sturdy Oak trees are... how deep their roots go.

In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, this tree was most likely beaten down and bare to the bone, as these Oak trees appear. I took this picture, not far from The Patriarch, back in 2005. Now, some three years later, these trees are lush and green, standing tall, as if nothing had happened. It is safe to say these old Oak trees have weathered their storms.

Most people listen to sermons...today, I looked at one...and took notes.


"For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease." Job 14:7

6 comments:

Robbin said...

Trees are one of my favorite thing, thanks for sharing and those butterflies are amazing!

Susan said...

What a wonderful outting and time. I trust all our "roots" go deep into our Lord!! When they do, we can weather the storms. I love how God uses nature so often to teach and instruct us.
Susan

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

what a perfectly lovely thing for him to do!!!

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

JC said...

How sweet he is to you. Great post. Awesome oaks; awesome message on weathering storms.

Anonymous said...

How nice.. I think butterflys are so pretty..I had a great friend that got one tatooed on her chest... Ouch! bet that hurt...she's a brave gal, my friend. You might know her...I'll introduce ya one day...Love ya, Jen ;0)

j said...

What a thoughtful thing for your husband to do. Isn't it wonderful when God speaks to our heart through everyday things? He is just so good!