In addition to their massive girths , what was most startling to behold were the blackened areas of many trees , marking them as having survived fire , to which they have uniquely evolved and adapted over the course of millennia . If you were to examine the cross section of one of these trees , as we were privileged to do , you would see areas in the tree rings , added each year , which still held the scars of fire , drought , or other environmental phenomena . Some years in the tree rings had dramatic and visible evidence of distress , yet the trees continued to grow around the scars and heal . The internal rings told the stories of the trees and of their resilience . These giants offered me solace through the visible and invisible markings of their survival . As I sat at the feet of these ancient , living trees , looking up into their canopy that reached toward the heavens , I felt the internal rings of this year taking shape within me . Last year ’ s ring will always be marked by scars . As we turn the page on the past year , it has taken its place as part of our greater personal and national stories . Just as the trees have , we will grow around our scars , continuing to heal and grow . Resting amongst these trees , I finally felt able to step back in to the stream of time .
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