Planting trees: connecting with the imperishable wonder of creation

A moving story by John Smith describes how planting trees in honor of life passages–the births of his sons and annually on Mother’s Day–helps him now as he deals with cancer. Below are excerpts from the story, which you can read in full on his blog.

“We commemorated the first-born’s birth by planting a Sugar maple tree. Two years later, our second son’s arrival was marked with a Quaking aspen. Though we stopped at two children, the tree planting was only beginning.

“As our sons grew, it became a ritual for the three of us boys to plant a new tree each Mother’s Day. The value of our gift lay in the legacy tribute of a tree’s life. …

“The first tree dedicated to my wife was a white birch. Its multiple trunks and drooping branches now reach 30 feet into the air. Many more followed one at a time, along with random plantings of bunches of Douglas fir, poplars, and Norway maples. Despite the dozens of additions, room exists for many more.

“To plant a tree affirms life beyond the boundaries of our short stint on earth. While my cancer causes me to sometimes brood about mortality, the trees I’ve sown connect me to the imperishable wonder of creation. The routine chore of gathering leaves to share with my garden folds me into the mystery of how life everlasting encompasses us all.”

Many who planted with Friends of Trees at our Gift Tree Planting on March 27 found the planting affirming for similar reasons. One member of the Quail-Swan Family, which gathered from Portland and British Columbia for the event, wrote this to us afterward:

“I would like to extend our appreciation from the British Columbia Quail-Swans. Our hearts are truly broken. Gerard [in whose memory the family planted trees] is the youngest of seven. He has ten nieces and nephews he adored, and he was dearly loved and respected by each of us.

“For my husband and me, it was a truly a poignant moment to express our love and respect for Gerard in a place we know he would love. … After thirty years in emergency medicine and nine years with hospice, I know that families suffer when there is no place to go to honor their loved ones.” (Maggie Swan, nee Quail)

Friends of Trees hopes that Arbor Month, the month of Earth Day, and the approaching of Mother’s Day inspire you to honor the earth and others by connecting with the “imperishable wonder of creation.”

–TR