Paradise Within

Paradise WithinIntimate Earth, Intimate SpiritDuring the harsh Connecticut winter of 2014, my husband and I escaped to sunny Southwest Florida for the month of February. We rented a small condo on Naples Bay. Our end unit was on the fourth floor of a five story building. The fronds of a tall palm tree shaded our terrace. In the early morning I would sit on the terrace with my coffee and write in my journal as I do at home in Connecticut.After a few mornings, I noticed that the fronds or leaves of the palm tree seemed to nod and reach toward me as I sat there writing. We became friends without conversation. What struck me about our friendship was how personal it was. We were two species of God’s creation just being together in Silence. And so I began to think about my palm tree as a conduit to God.The idea of a tree as a conduit to God became the theme of my poem, 'The Agnes Tree'. I fondly named the tree after Saint Agnes who was a pure and holy servant of God. As I wrote it I realized that Nature has always been a conduit to God for me. Natural beauty draws me into closer relationship with the Holy Spirit to experience the joy of Heaven on Earth-moments of deep communion in which we are in complete harmony with God, ourselves, and the entire creation to experience what I call 'Paradise Within.' Sandy Smyth Yale Divinity SchoolM.A.R. 2010 3