Garden of the Gods is breathtaking.

I was driving through looking for a trail.

I saw something between two small peaks.

I finally found a place to park.

I trekked back looking for that perfect picture.

The Colorado air was thin, and breathing harder than normal.

I found what I thought was the right area.

I never found what I was looking for there.

I climbed between two peaks which may

Or may not have been the one I thought it was.

As I climbed higher I got a little lost.

There was a strange, peaceful feeling around me.

As I wandered in the foothills I came upon a little tree.

It looked ancient, the roots exposed and eroded.

The ground around it was rocky.

It was perhaps three feet tall and windswept.

Yet there it was, growing in a place where it shouldn't.

I suddenly realized that there was a lot in common

with me and that tree.

We had both suffered tremendous trauma in our lives.

Much of our trauma had been in our formative years.

I actually felt the presence of a creator while sitting there.

It was the first time in years that I had felt that way.

At the time, I didn't realize that I was in the throes of addiction.

A few years and many tears later I found I needed help.

During the recovery process I thought back to this little tree.

It became an anchor for my recovery.

Today I finally feel worthy to recieve love again.

And I know it's out there for me.

One special lady who will make all the difference.

Is she there, somewhere close?

I will find her someday.

And when that happens we will complete one another.

I pray that day is soon.

All of this is possible for me,

thanks to the lesson of a little tree that survived.