Gentle Giants

Deep in the woods on our place is this giant old twisted oak tree.  I don't know the specific variety, but it has a different appearance than other trees that are as large.  It is surrounded by trees and yet it stands alone -- it stands out.  I don't know how to explain it except it is just different.

The tree sits about 20 yards away from a deep creek which is one of two which cross our place.  It rises out of a bamboo thicket which is an indicator that it is often flooded when the creeks rise.  It shows only minor signs of disease but, there are a number of branches that truncate in a broken stub.  There are a few holes in the trunk where a branch has broken off and the elements eaten a cavity into the wood.

Other than the bamboo, the ground is fairly clean beneath the tree.  Usually when a branch dies and breaks off it will lie under a tree until it decomposes.  I'm sure the creek washes away anything not anchored to the ground in this area.

I haven't noticed that the tree is infested with insects although it would greatly surprise me if not.  There are no woodpecker holes in the trunk anywhere that I can see.  Most of the trees in our part of the world are full of boring insects and it destroys their usefulness for timber.  This one likely has some defense mechanism that makes it resistant -- unpalatable -- to the local six-legged critters.  That's an indicator it is uncommon to the area.

The tree is a "way mark" on the trail we cut through the woods that takes us across the creeks to the back side of our place.  It is about half way across what we call "the island" -- the area between the creeks.  If someone is not familiar with the place, it is easy to get turned around in the woods.  This tree is one of the landmarks I learned to watch for when I was first getting oriented to the land.

The tree reminds me of some people I have known through the years.  They are people that stand above the crowd for some reason.  I think of them as the "gentle giants" in my life.  In the list I would include a couple of farmers, a college professor, a pastor, a banker and a couple of businessmen.  They weren't "showy" or, focused on drawing attention to themselves as so many are, they simply went about their professions, quietly being the best they could be while investing in the lives of others.  They were the ones I knew I could always turn to for advice and trust what they told me -- even when it wasn't what I wanted to hear.  They were mentors.

Most of them are gone now.  They left their mark on many people -- including me.  We should all aspire to be such.