I felt a little weary and discouraged this morning. We just returned from a road trip where I discovered that travelling is harder on my joints than it used to be. We visited my brother who is now in hospice at home. We had a treasured visit for a few days, and I am grateful for that.

We had not been to the United States for a couple of years, and people in malls and restaurants seemed wary and stressed. It is not surprising with the gun violence, the southern border crisis, the contention over wearing or not wearing masks, and the environmental hardships for so many families. Forest fire smoke blanketed our three-state journey, and I thought about all of the people losing their homes and businesses. We saw hundreds of miles of drought-damaged crops, which also means difficulty or disaster for many in the agricultural and retail industry. We saw several closed stores that did not make it through the pandemic.

Life can look scary! At such times, I like to remember that Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid and to come to Him when they were weary and burdened. I also like to remember what Paul said about our Creator, that we can see His character and nature by looking at what He made (Romans 1:20).

As we passed through hundreds of miles of trees to get home, I began wondering about how God created so many different kinds of trees. Such an exercise brings peace and a smile. He is generous in variety and abundance. Our Creator is awesome!

Different trees grow in different places. My friend from Fiji tells about climbing coconut trees or picking mangoes. We had apple trees where I grew up-and there were several varieties-some for eating, some for pies and others just for jam. We enjoyed picking cherries in Montana. The southern areas enjoy peaches, pears, oranges, limes, lemons and grapefruit. As a side note, it is so like our Creator to bring forth such fruit from fragrant spring blossoms. Our loving Creator added nuts to His menu by providing almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews and Macadamia nuts. The Middle East shares their figs, dates and green, black and Kalamata olives. Then God gave us fun fruits such as kiwis and cumquats and other fruits that I have never tried.

For the barbeque, He thought we needed mesquite wood to flavor the smoke. For the woodworker, He offered different colors and grains. The red cedar is not only beautiful but it smells nice and works as a preservative in closets. We can build whatever we want from mahogany, hickory, cherry or oak. Some maple trees are for landscaping and building while the sugar maples share sap for syrup and goodies. Pine trees come in several varieties. The lodge pole pines grow long and straight, perfect for building a cabin. The ponderosa pines are thicker and bushier and the sugar pines provide huge pinecones for decorating at Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, the pine, fir and spruce offer choices for decorating.

I think God just likes to have fun with some trees, like the tamarack that looks like an evergreen in the summer but then turns florescent yellow in the fall or the magnolia tree with its large waxy flowers that spread their scent throughout the humid night air. The paper birch seems to offer sheets of writing material, while the mangrove grows in salty soil in coastal areas. The tall redwoods and giant sequoias humble me. We are tiny beside their majestic splendor.

Especially for those in the East and Appalachian regions of the country, I hope you enjoy God's artwork as autumn paints your trees with vibrant colors. I only recalled the few trees I know. I didn't touch on those of other continents or jungles.

Joyce Kilmer wrote in 1919, "Only God can make a tree." I am encouraged as I remember who is in charge and how much He loves us and wants us to see who He is by the trees that He made.

Sue Carlisle grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. An enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, her passion is to encourage people to look at creation and see our awesome Creator. Sue is author of Walking with the Creator Along the Narrow Road (see page 19]).

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She and her husband, Wes, now live in Thunder Bay, Ontario.