Hajja Salesjana January March 2018

6 to say that they have only what is essential to live and grow through the proper functioning of their leaves and cells. I asked an expert about these particulars, and he told me that those pine trees have three most special characteristics. They have very deep roots, a very flexible trunk, and a very small canopy (branches and leaves) . The reason for all of this made me marvel all the more. The roots of these fir trees must be very deep to enable the trees to find moisture and water, most especially in the summer when the soil is arid due to searing temperatures, even in the mountains. The tall trunks, many even 85 feet tall, he told me, require that they be very flexible so In July 2017 I had the opportunity to spend a serene, peaceful week of spiritual retreat with the members of the General Council. We stayed at themonastery of Vallombrosa, near Florence. It is a simple, austere place where one can find the beauty of nature 3,300 feet above sea level. It is a place that invites to prayer; it is very cool, surrounded by thousands and thousands of fir trees – many of them more than 65 feet tall. It is one of the most important forest areas of Italy, for it breathes a lot of oxygen back into the atmosphere. It was here that I learned a lesson in biology that left its mark on me. I noticed that those pine trees were very tall and stood very straight, but their foliage was very sparse, with few branches and few needles. It is almost as if THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR DON ÁNGEL FERNÁNDEZ ARTIME HAVING DEEP ROOTS, BEING FLEXIBLE, AND BEING RICH IN WHAT IS ESSENTIAL I shall never forget the wise life lesson which the fir trees of the beautiful forest of Vallombrosa gave me. My cordial greetings, dear readers, and all the members of our dear Salesian Family. I wish to offer you a reflection that I made from a very concrete experience that I had recently –a lesson from nature.