Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Legend of the Dogwood Tree


A Pink and a White Dogwood at Hodges Gardens State Park


A lighted cross hidden in the woods near our cabin at Hodges Gardens reflected in the lake.

The magnificent Pink Dogwood tree's flower.


The legend of the dogwood tree, author unknown, is as follows:

In Jesus' time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
'Twas strong and firm it's branches interwoven
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected, this tree shall be
A reminder to all of my agony.

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I hope you enjoyed reading about the Dogwood tree.  I remember my Mama telling me this story when I was a little girl and I was happy to find it in poetry form online to share today. The woods here in Louisiana are peppered with many Dogwood trees this time of year and they are so beautiful.  I was overjoyed to get some closeup shots of their magnificent flowers when we were at Hodges Gardens last week.
Happy Easter, Everyone,

~Marion, thinking about our precious friend, Renee, in heaven on this Easter morning...

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"Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in his resurrection. Let him say not merely, "Christ is risen," but "I shall rise." ~Phillips Brooks

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"See the land, her Easter keeping,
Rises as her Maker rose.
Seeds, so long in darkness sleeping,
Burst at last from winter snows.
Earth with heaven above rejoices..." ~Charles Kingsley

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"And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here." ~St Augustine

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12 comments:

quid said...

Absolutely beautiful post. Renee can see it from heaven, ML.

quid

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

Dogwoods are my favorite tree, even after the flowers fade, the leaves are so pretty. Thank you for sharing the story, as I had known parts of it but not the whole thing.

Linda S. Socha said...

Marion
What wonderful photos! The dogwood was my mother's favorite and I was delighted to find this poem. Love the quotes!
Linda

Pam said...

I've always loved Dogwoods and also the Legend of the Dogwoods!

One of the things I loved about living in North Louisiana were the dogwoods this time of year in the woods along the highways. There they were peeking out here and there...white and/or pink. I miss that.

Kelly said...

Gorgeous photos!!! Dogwoods are one of my favorite parts of Eastertime. Seems like they barely made it in time this year. I didn't notice them blooming in our woods until earlier in the week.

I've always loved the legend, too, and am glad you shared it here.

Fireblossom said...

I love dogwood trees.

Happy Easter!!

Marion said...

Thank you all for the kind comments. I'm so happy when others enjoy my photos!

I thought the synchronicity of the timing of our camping trip along with Easter, the Dogwood Trees and the Cross in the woods was just too perfect. I'm thankful for moments like these when I find that God still speaks to me in ways I can understand. Love & Blessings!!

* said...

Beautiful glowing cross and Dogwood flower. Such beauty, such spring.

Marion said...

Thank you, Terresa. Yes, Spring is in full bloom here in Louisiana. It's awesome. Blessings!

Wine and Words said...

Mmmm. Lovely poem, and the last line...reminder to all of my agony. His we need remember. Mine I'd rather forget. Countdown to April 6th. ONE MORE DAY. :)

Love
Annie

Marion said...

Annie, one more day...one more day. Glad you enjoyed the poem. Blessings!

Anne said...

Thank you so much for this...I just happened upon your blog when I was looking for this poem for my own blog...and now I'm following ~ (a "meant-to-be") ~
Hugs,
Anne