The Season That Changed Me: Reflections on Maple Trees, God’s Creation, and Slower Living
Every year, when the nights drop below freezing and the days start to warm, we feel it. That gentle shift in the air that tells us it’s time—maple season. And every year, it’s different.
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A Short, Sweet Season
This season started late. We waited and watched, wondering when the trees would wake up. And just when we began to find our rhythm, it ended. It was short—so short. We worked hard to catch every drop. We checked buckets daily, stoked fires late into the night, and boiled sap with care. But in the end, our yield was lower than we hoped.
It hurt. Not because of the numbers, but because of the heart we pour into this work—the labor, the long days, the joy of doing something real and rooted as a family.
Still, I wouldn’t trade this short, sweet season for anything.
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A Moment That Changed Me
Because something happened this year. Something that changed me in a way I didn’t expect.
One day, while walking through our woods and scouting more maples, I stopped and laid my hand on a tree. I don’t even know why I did it, really. But in that moment, I felt it—a connection I can’t explain. The kind that reaches past words and touches your spirit. I stood there, hand pressed against the bark, and something inside me knew: this is holy ground.
“Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
– Exodus 3:5
It reminded me of Moses at the burning bush—how sometimes God speaks not in thunder, but in the stillness of creation.
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The Trees Are Speaking
These trees are part of God’s creation. They’re alive. And more than that—they’re responsive. The longer I do this work, the more I believe that trees don’t just speak to one another. They speak to us too—not with words, but with stillness, presence, and the quiet generosity they offer up day after day.
They give us the air we breathe. The shade that cools us in summer. The brilliant colors of fall. And in the cold months, they give us sweet sap—this hidden gift we’ve been entrusted to gather and transform. They ask for nothing, and yet they give so much.
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More Than a Harvest
I’ve come to see maple syrup season as more than just a harvest. It’s a time of deep reverence. It draws me into the rhythm of creation and reminds me that we’re part of something so much bigger than ourselves. Nature doesn’t move at our pace. It moves at the pace of God’s design. And if we let it, it teaches us to slow down, listen, and live differently.
“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream… It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.”
– Jeremiah 17:8
Even though the yield was low this year, the harvest was rich in other ways. I walk away with a deeper respect for the land, a reverence for the trees, and a heart wide open to the quiet ways God speaks through His creation.
And for that, I am grateful.
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Before You Go…
Have you felt it too? That quiet nudge in creation—a moment that made you pause and feel something deeper?
Maybe it was a tree, a breeze, a sunrise, or a garden coming back to life.
I’d love to hear your story.
Drop a comment below or send me a message—let’s honor these moments of connection together.
The Story in a Jar
This year’s harvest may have been small, but what we made feels extra sacred. If you’d like to bring a taste of this season into your own home, our small-batch maple syrup is available in the shop.