Frenzy destroys our inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our work, because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.
~ Thomas Merton
While I worked, healed and learnt to slow down, nature taught me its humble and steady lesson – that there is a different way of being fruitful than the frenzied activity I was used to. The trees lived at a slower, more restful pace that still led to genuine, productive fruitfulness.
The stillness that comes from burn out, the openness that comes from a wounded heart, opened me up to perceive the beauty and the deep wisdom at work in the inner life of trees.
Connecting with nature became a spiritual practice – a new way of knowing and experiencing God.
I learnt to keep company with trees and plants, the way I keep company with good friends. And slowly, but surely, I became more like them.
I have noticed that my album has quite a few references to trees, which shows how much they have crept into my subconscious. Trees are characters in the stories that I tell in ‘Sunset Road’, ‘The Year The Birds Came Back‘ and ‘Not All the Leaves are Falling‘.
I am grateful for this transformation that occurred seven years ago. I’m grateful that nature has ceased to be a prop in the drama of life and has become instead one of my favourite characters.
I’m grateful for the secret life of trees.
Kathryn Overall
Songwriter | Wordsmith | Sojourner