The Human Spirit

The Old Mill

Paris, Idaho

 

 

 

I was with my sister Jenni when I took this photo of an old pioneer mill up Paris Canyon.
The mill has always been a symbol to me of the pioneering spirit of perseverance.  Despite the heartbreaking difficulties they experienced in life much of their effort went into preserving their own and procuring future lives.  And the mill was vital to all this. 
The mill is only ruins now but within this decaying symbol lay a living one.  It is not visibly apparent from the picture but that tree grew out of sandstone rock.  It is a mystery to me how imbedded in rock it could have received the necessary nutrients to produce such beautiful blossoms of life.  So, it too became a symbol; a living emblem of the human spirit.  As children of God we, like the tree, have something deep within that can rise and grow despite the fierce adversity we might battle.  We too can be fruitful and create beauty even when, and perhaps because, our roots grow out of the rock.     

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
-Elisabeth Kübler-Ross