Premier - Tree with the lights in it

The display name of my blog comes from the mind of Annie Dillard in her brilliant book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. The "tree with the lights in it" is an observation she made while walking along side Tinker Creek near her home in Virginia. Contrary to simple thought, it was not a Christmas tree wound with electrical bulbs, but a beautiful tree whose leaves let the sunlight seep through in a way to give her mind the illusion of having millions of lights burning among its branches.

The way Dillard writes of this tree, and a multitude of other observations, is created by one action: slowing down. She can craft a mental impression through her writing by first watching, listening, and soaking in her surroundings. What wonderful and awesome things we could see if we, in twenty-first century America, would slow down and watch creation. That is what the "tree with the lights in it" represents to me and hopefully will be a thematic element in my future posts.

I hope to present what I see when I slow down or when I do not slow down. Not just the natural, but the spiritual. I will put it into words as best I can. John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, once: "I want to hear you think, or to see your thoughts." For you, the reader, and myself, I want to be able to "see my thoughts."