I recently visited a Japanese tea house and garden. As I rounded the corner of a beautiful water garden, I saw two trees supporting each other—gripping, leaning, and embracing. This sight brought tears to my eyes because it beautifully symbolized human connection. How often do we lean on and support each other to ensure that we both stand strong in our unique differences? I didn’t inquire whether these trees were deliberately placed together. Perhaps they were. I like to believe they are two separate trees that naturally came together over time. However, even if a person created this beauty in the garden, the symbolism remains the same. I would love to speak with whoever made that choice if that’s the case. On my way home from a week-long work trip filled with learning and sightseeing, I reflected on this and many other spiritual experiences from my journey. I never tire of the encounters in my life—the stories, the connections—and I hold the relationships that have supported me through all my seasons in sacred space. Not a single one of these connections hasn’t made me wiser, stronger, and enriched my soul. If we are connected, I see you, and thank you for your beauty in my life. This song is for you! ❤️

Video with the pictures from the garden 🌻

MP3 Audio

Lyrics

Nature’s Story Written by Anna L. Hebb 7/31/2026

Verse 1 

We can find ourselves awed by nature’s call 

Hello, beauty, I see you. I will listen, and I pause 

One tree weathered and gray by the winds and years 

perhaps holding the evergreen through tears 

Maybe it’s joy and companionship that is dear 

through it all, we found ourselves drawing so near

Chorus

And we lean into trust, we are standing tall, 

Two separate lives that refuse to fall. 

Not a weight to carry, not a chain to bind— Just the greatest strength that two hearts can find. 

Side by side where the waters flow, 

This is the grace that we’ve come to know.

Verse 2 

Shoulder to shoulder, we weather and grow 

knowing our differences, and still we show 

Each one strong and tall, yet we lean not to fall 

not to burden, push, or fix one another 

The beauty in the stance is our love, our dance 

Find peace as nature reminds us of this chance

Chorus

And we lean into trust, we are standing tall, 

Two separate lives that refuse to fall. 

Not a weight to carry, not a chain to bind— Just the greatest strength that two hearts can find. 

Side by side where the waters flow, 

This is the grace that we’ve come to know.

Verse 3

Beneath the surface where the dark earth heals

In the sacred silence that Spirit reveals

Our roots interlace in the Holy night

Drawing our life from an unseen light

Anchored in faith where the quiet descends

It is deep in the Source that the healing mends

Bridge

To bear is not to burden! 

To lean is not to break! 

Look at the space that we’ve bridged for each other,

 Look at the future we rise to make! 

When the storm hits hard from the mountainside, 

We are the shelter where we both abide!

Outro

Two trunks crossed, 

One canopy wide. 

No longer alone, with you by my side. Nature remembers. We stand.