In the summer of 1977, my mother went up the road from our house looking for something special. The road lead to the pond in a clearing of the forest. There she found a small saproling cherry wood tree which she carefully uprooted and transplanted to the yard in front of her house, directly in front of the two large, living room windows. There is grew and prospered.
Each spring, I would stand in front of that cherry tree and smile in the warm sunshine. My mother would take my picture in celebration of my birthday. I would gaze up at the towering branches of the tree, brushing the blue sky itself, as the rich, red glow from the bark caught the light. For you see, it was my cherry tree. Planted for me in the year of my birth by my mother as a celebration and tribute of life.
Eight summers came and past, the tree standing tall through hard Pennsylvania snows and brisk autumn winds. And each spring, as I stood before it, it bloomed. But the time came that I could stand in front of it no more. For we were moving away; far away to a place called “Florida” and my tree could not follow. I cried and cried, not understanding why we had to leave. I remember the woman who purchased the house tell me, as I sobbed to her that it was my tree, “It will always be your tree.”
Twice again as long has past now and always, in the back of my mind, I’ve thought about getting back up there one day to reunite with my beloved tree. But this fall, my mother did just that and had sad news to tell.
The tree was gone.
I do not know the circumstances of its death, but it is nonetheless, gone forever. Dead and empty where once there was vibrant life. My tree… And it made me realize how fragile things are. If this magnificent tree could not even live my 24 years, then what hope do any of us have on leaving a truly lasting mark? The world spins and changes and the things we love fall away into nothing. It’s sad, really, that when this is all said and done, there won’t even be memories left.
So, this is my small, temporary reminder of something that I expected to remain true through time. A reminder and remembrance of my beloved cherry wood tree. May the warm spring sunshine never dim in the Summerlands beyond.
~ flowers bloom near Memory and Dream
at 11/16/2001 01:31:35 PM ~
~
