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Trees
August 9, 2017
“But now,: says the Once-ler, “now that you’re here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” – The Lorax, by Dr. Suess
I grew up in a forest. That is what it felt like at least. Trees everywhere. We had two side by side trees in our front yard. They were the perfect climbers. My sister even named them, Honey and Rosie.
We spent endless hours in those trees. Mia Dinopoli even broke BOTH her arms falling from them. Tree’s have always been a huge part of my life.
To me, tree’s represent truth. Their roots grow as deep as their highest branch. They give us oxygen, and shade, and warmth. They are mighty. The strongest tree’s are the ones that bend with the ever changing wind.
When I think of my Dad, he is sitting under a tree. He would sit in a yard chair, lean it back with his weight against a tree and read his book. Black iced coffee by his side. Tree’s are weaved into my memories.
Tree’s taught me to forgive. My father and I sat under a tree when he told me he was leaving, and not coming back.
My favorite picture of my girls they are all sitting in a tree. Tree’s make me happy.
“This one” had a friend who died in second grade. I did not even know how to begin to tell her. I picked her up from school and we went to the nearest tree. Tree’s give me courage.
Tree’s are a true gift. I have planted tree’s in Israel for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
When I see a tree being cut down, or see a stump where a mighty Oak once stood, it breaks me. We had a new neighbor move in next to us once, and they ripped out all the tree’s to “re-do” their yard. I cried.
A tree renews my faith. It sheds its leaves, and grows new ones. It takes from the earth what it needs to be sustained, and nothing more. Each inner ring shows a full cycle. You can carve into a tree, and it does not die. You can prune it, take it as close to bear, and it will regrow. It can be dormant for long periods, yet blossom.
My prayer for my girls is that like tree’s they grow strong. They weather life’s storms. They are firmly planted. One day, they will bear fruit and plant seeds, and carry on.