I am not a patient person. I’ve been kicked out of more than one meditation group. I hate to wait.

Los Angeles is a city, filled with people just like me. People who get a rush from rushing, who are busy, busy, busy…who want things….Quick, Now, Instant!!
It’s “LA time” and I like it.

You’d think that as a mom with two young children and a full-time job helping communities plant trees, that my life would keep clicking along at a pace that works for me. And it some ways, it does.

The only issue is that it is a schedule filled with things that need a great deal of patience….people, trees and small children.

All three of these things thrive not with “LA time”, but with what I call “tree time”. Trees, like children, are great teachers. And they both do best when given lots of time and space to grow.

When we plant trees, people sometimes look a bit disappointed at the size of them. They’ll often ask…”When are they going to be tree trees?” And I understand. Part of me wants to go… “poof” 40’ trees, or “poof” instant community involvement or “poof” two children fed, bathed, in pajamas and ready for bed.

So I have to work on being patient. A lot. And because meditation eludes me, that’s not a way I can practice.

Instead I turn to the newly planted trees all over this city. They are a great reminder that it doesn’t have to be immediate to be worthwhile. They help me be a better listener, worker and mother.

There are new camphor trees out in front of our church. Each week we’ll see them, and they’ll seem unchanged. And then one day, we’ll barely be able to remember them being small. Much like children….they will grow big, soon enough.

So today…we light the chalice for the trees and our children, so that they may give us patience. These are simple things that help us have extraordinary lives.