I discovered yesterday that one of my favorite old beech trees in the Two Hundred Acre Wood had expired and come apart this past winter - my tree probably returned to the earth early in this calendar year when the snow was very deep and muffled the sound of her last song and her falling.She was a great tree and a very old tree, and I shall miss her shade in summer, her arching branches and her silvery bark. She was a soul friend, and a great pleasure to spend time with over the years, giving me good advice and lending her sturdy shoulder for me to lean on when I needed comfort and healing.
Now it is her turn - she rests in the loving arms of her sisters in the beech grove, and all around her are her comely daughters. Yes, I shall continue to visit her.
6 comments:
I share your feeling of loss when these beauties reach the end of their lives.
(Did you see my post about that? Over here.
How sad and how beautiful. At least she came to a natural end, and you describe it with such tenderness, it touched my heart.
The falling of a tree is always a loss from our narrow perspective, but no loss to Mother Earth - as you so eloquently point out.
"No coming, no going
No after, no before
I hold you close to me
I release you to be so free
Because I am in you and you are in me"
Thich Nhat Hanh
Tree was leaning against her sisters in the grove when I found her the other day, and she seemed to be resting her head on their shoulders. The first mottled tendrils of the woodland trout lily were coming up in the pool of sunshine at her feet, and it was peaceful there, very quiet.
I understand how you feel. I've loved three trees in my life. An old oak on my childhood farm, the only tree in acres of wheat. An apple tree that I could climb and settle into to read a book. And a huge goldenrain tree that used to be in my front yard where landscape roses now mark the place she had in my life.
I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. Just so busy all the time now. I am always sad to see trees die as well.
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