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In “Love is the food
of the universe,” a meditation guide by Rev. Rainbow Johnson (rainbow@revrainbow.org),
she tells about an apple tree that the property owners had for ten years
but didn’t want. The tree never bore fruit while they owned it. Later the
property was sold and the new owners loved the tree. They named it
“Annie.” It began to bear fruit and she says, “Annie gave birth to
ten years worth of apples!” Her story got me to
thinking about trees I have loved. At one of my homes there was an apple
tree that had been badly wounded in its early life. Someone had
apparently run over it with a car or laid some large, heavy object on it
because it grew sideways and then curled up a hill with its limbs
extending out in front of my bird-watching window. The first thing I do
when I buy a place is knock a 4x4 hole in the wall and install a double
thermal insulated window for my bird watching. One of the things I
really loved about this home was hanging my feeders on the apple tree
and seeing it bloom. I named it Sweet Crabby because the apples were
real tart. A friend had recipes
calling for crab apples and she would come and gather the apples and
make her jams and jellies. One day she brought me some and I sat in
front of my big window enjoying the incredible taste of Sweet Crabby. I
never referred to her apples as “sour” anymore. In the front yard of
my childhood home place was one of the biggest oak trees I have ever
seen. We called him “Oakie” and he seemed like a member of the
family. My mother protected Oakie with total dedication. When the
electrical provider came to trim trees to protect its lines, mother
stood there giving them directions. She would not allow Oakie to be
damaged or his beauty to be marred. In the backyard grew a
tree with a crooked limb extending out across a waterway that ran
through our property. My sister and I loved to sit on that limb and
watch the water flow by. It faced into some deep woods where all kinds
of wildlife romped and we felt a deep spiritual kinship with that tree. I am an unabashed tree
hugger. Those who make fun of tree huggers must have dehydrated souls.
They need to go back to their Maker for soul repairs. In a recent “gustnado,”
I lost a 6-year old maple. It was a feeling similar to losing a loved
one. Why? Because it was a loved one. One reason I love
trees is they helped my mother breathe when she got emphysema. She’d
walk down in the orchard and stand and breathe the oxygen the trees were
making. Every tree on my
property is loved. One of my favorite meditations is to sit quietly and
breathe slowly and deeply and feel a deep appreciation for every tree in
the world. Tell me about you
favorite tree. www.daltonroberts.com
is a good place to roam around. Visit soon.
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