The Mindful Farmers Daily Diary Day 55

Good morning once again and welcome back to Ballinwillin House Farm. This morning when I talk to you I want you to get as comfortable and relaxed as you can, possibly find a nice quiet place, plant your feet firmly on the ground and close your eyes if you wish to do so. Yesterday I received a lovely message from Cathy regarding my favourite place and the beautiful old yew tree, taxus baccata. If this graceful old tree could talk and tell us what it has seen, if it could only talk! But this tree lives a life just like ourselves, busy everyday growing and striving to stay alive as it is attacked from all sides and all elements. From the moment it falls onto the ground as a seed anywhere, it may live for 1000 years but it must compete every second for water, nutrients, light and space and fend off cold, heat, drought, flooding and a host of parasites and predators of all kinds - the list is endless.I think we have it easy so that is what this old tree is saying firstly is that our life, your life “aint so bad!”

But what I believe is most important is what this tree doesn’t say that is important to me. It is, and all these trees, are my sounding boards. What I mean here is that since I was a young boy my parents instilled in me the importance of confidentially and all through my life I believe if you are told something in confidence it must die with you. It is an inner respect. That is the most important message I feel when I face this tree everyday. But there are many more messages but I wont go into them today. But as I face this beauty now I thank it for supporting me and my family with beautiful oxygen for my lifetime.

Continue to pray, bless and heal each other

The Mindful Farmer

Patrick