If you read my blog post from last week, you know that I recently gave an interesting homework assignment to my masterclass participants.

Here was the assignment:

1. Find your special tree and go commune with her. Talk to her, ask her questions, listen to her spirit communicate to you. Sit with her, hug her, bring her an offering (water, soil, stones, compost, leaves, a prayer).

What kind of teacher would I be if I wasn’t willing to do my own homework assignments?

With a full heart, I would like to introduce you to my special childhood tree. She grows outside my parents’ home and has known me since I was 8 years old. She is the big beautiful oak in the photograph. 

Her quiet, steady, grounded presence brought me comfort during my childhood. She holds my teenage secrets in complete confidence and non-judgment.

The tree shares her leaves generously…all over the driveway. When my mother was in the middle of her dementia, she would determinedly sweep that driveway clean of any leaves. Day and night. It was something to focus on; something she could control in the uncontrollable journey of life with dementia.

 And, like a dutiful friend, the tree would respond by dropping more leaves, thus helping my mother to sustain the wee bit of attention she still possessed. 

If you look closely at the photograph, you can see how the oak seems to be hugging the palm tree that is growing on her left. Over time, she seems to have opened the tops of her branches so that the palm would have sufficient light to grow. Sharing our light. That’s how we grow.

We can learn so much from nature, trees especially. Two books that I highly recommend on the topic of trees:

1. “Like a Tree: How Trees, Women, and Tree People Can Save the Planet” by Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen
2. “The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate” by Peter Wohlleben