Oprah Winfrey once said that “Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity.”

Challenges have abounded at home since the end of August, when a second round of severe summer thunderstorms accompanied by high winds roared through Missoula, toppling another segment of our backyard box elder tree.

Erik and I sprung to action that evening, quickly removing the latest round of fallen debris from our garage roof, then sawing and segmenting it into manageable chunks to stack and eventually remove from the backyard.

As I had to leave the following day for two guiding trips, Erik arranged for a tree service company to remove the beleaguered box elder, which finally came down the first week of September.

Now only a one foot tall stump remains. It was surreal this September not having the tree’s golden leaves tumbling gracefully to the ground, and I actually missed raking and bagging up the leaves, with Ren the cat investigating her pet humans’ latest projects.

We miss other gifts this 30 foot tall box elder tree freely provided over the years: shade in the warmer months, privacy, a food source for a raft of species. shelter and refuge for birds, squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons, and us as well.

Erik recalled a mid-June snowstorm in 2001 that caused the then young tree to bend parallel to the ground, effectively creating a snow covered tunnel that Flo-Jo our previous cat transformed into a wintery passageway. Because of its youth and suppleness, the tree survived that event, yet this past summer’s storms signaled its life was coming to an end.

Yet another gift from the box elder is the opportunity to envision things differently where it once stood.

We’re already contemplating what vegetables and flowers we might plant there next year- perhaps yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes and parsley. We’ll also explore what flowers would thrive in this newly created opening, and other things we can do to help nature regenerate and heal this damaged place.

Sometimes change roars in like a lion; sometimes it’s more subtle, like the whisper of a spring or summer breeze. No matter how it comes it’s worth heeding, boldly stepping into the void, and embracing infinite opportunities to continue changing, growing and thriving.