Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” Moreover, the book subtly weaves in important environmental messages, emphasizing the need to protect and cherish our natural surroundings. It encourages mindfulness and a greater appreciation for the often-overlooked natural elements in our daily lives. This aspect makes the book not only a delightful read but also an important educational tool for raising environmentally conscious individuals. The only other option is that the tree’s act of being must come from some cause outside itself. Such a cause is called an existential cause.

Again the LORD spoke his word to me and asked, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I answered, "I see a branch of an almond tree." Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond-tree. Furthermore, the uncaused cause must be immutable (unable to change). Wherever there is change, there is an actualized potency—a movement from potency to act. But no potency can be actualized without something already actual—that is to say, a cause. Since the uncaused cause can’t be caused, it follows it can’t change.Many more questions follow the title question. Readers are invited to think more about trees and their lives, differences and varieties, and about what trees offer to people. They may be good for climbing and shelter but they also offer life lessons in the ways they take care of each other in tree communities. Emma Carlisle spreads out a world of trees through rich illustrations in all shades of the colours of nature, adding to the steady, calm rhymes and half rhymes of the words. Light dapples through the branches of a woodland tree, wind bends the branches of trees that live in our streets, woodland creatures shelter in holes underneath roots and leaves are shed in winter. What I loved: This was a lovely book that invites children to think about the world around them. Trees are unique and interesting in all sorts of ways, and the book invites them to think about the different types, features, and the ways that they are living too. Trees live for so long, and the book points out the experiences they may have had and will have all around us. Posed as a series of questions, it is a thoughtful story for young readers that invites them to consider the parts of nature they may have not before. Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" I said, "I see a branch of an almond tree." Note: The question of whether there can be instrumental causes of sheer existence has no bearing on the argument. For an in-depth treatment of this issue, see my article “Between Existence and Annihilation” in Catholic Answers Magazine, July-August 2016). To infinity and beyond

Product restrictions: We are unable to ship seeds, plants, bulbs, inflammable products, food and beverages outside of the United Kingdom Xmas Delivery Dates This message from the LORD came to me, asking, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I replied, "I see an almond branch." We also know an uncaused cause would have to be absolutely simple. What this means is that it could not be composed of any parts whatsoever, whether physical or metaphysical. We’ve already seen in our reasoning how an uncaused cause would be metaphysically simple in that its nature (essence) would have to be identical to its act of being (existence). What Do You See When You Look at a Tree?" is a delightful and thought-provoking picture book that invites readers, both young and old, to embark on a journey of exploration and appreciation of the natural world around them. This book, through its simple yet profound narrative, encourages a deeper contemplation of nature, particularly trees, fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity in its audience. Imagine you see the caboose of the coupled train cars mentioned above passing by. What car is the caboose receiving its motion from? You might be inclined to say, “The moving car in front of it.” But then I would ask, “What is that car receiving its motion from?” and you would say, “The car in front of it,” and so on.Although this would be correct, ultimately the caboose is receiving its motion from the engine car through the intermediate cars. No intermediate car is the proper cause (the cause ultimately responsible for the effect) of the caboose’s motion but only an instrumental cause, deriving its causal power ultimately from the engine car. And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” Then the LORD said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?” And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.” In other words, the intermediate cars cause the caboose to move only in as much as the engine car is imparting motion to them. Without the engine car, which is a car outside the series of cars with derived motion, no intermediate car—an instrumental cause—would have the power to cause motion, and thus the caboose would not move. The LORD showed me something in a vision. Then he asked, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" I answered, "A branch of almonds that ripen early."

A further reason, however, that precludes any sort of composition all together is that anything that is composed of parts needs a composer—a cause that puts the parts together. But the uncaused cause can’t be caused. Therefore, the uncaused cause can’t have any parts, which means it’s absolutely simple. But adding an infinite number of instrumental existential causes doesn’t solve the problem. If a series of two instrumental existential causes can’t cause the tree to exist, then an infinite number of instrumental existential causes would not be able to do so either. This is no more possible than a caboose receiving motion from an infinite series of interlinked train cars without an engine car. Decisions, decisions, decisions One thing that can put people off about buying a real Christmas tree is the worry that it won’t last throughout the season as well as an artificial one. But don’t fret, because we’ve spoken to the experts to find out exactly how to look after a real Christmas tree so that it stays lovely and lush. The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see the branch of an almond tree.” Let’s say Cause 2 itself doesn’t have existence by nature but would have to derive existence from something outside itself. If this were the case, then we would have a series of instrumental existential causes and no proper cause from which the instrumental causes can derive their existence—that is to say, a cause that doesn’t derive existence but has it within its nature to give. If there is no proper cause from which Cause 2, and consequently Cause 1, can derive its existence, then the tree wouldn’t exist.

The tree’s act of being is either going to be identical to its nature or not. If the tree’s act of being is identical to its nature, then it would belong to its nature to exist. Just like what a triangle is necessarily involves three straight sides—because a triangle has three straight sides by nature—so too if the tree’s act of being was identical to its nature, what the tree is would necessarily involve existence. What it is (essence) would be the same as that it is (existence).