We had a horrendous storm this weekend that did tremendous damage over the area, complete with scary lightning, flooding rains, booming thunder, straight line winds, and vicious tornadoes. It almost made me feel like God was angry at us for some reason, but I realized God sends us storms to help us learn from our mistakes, whether its terrible environmental decisions, regulations on preparedness drills, or just spending too much money on landscaping projects.
My lessons came from loving to garden and continuing to landscape my property. I lost four big limbs out of my husband’s pride and joys, our Autumn Blaze maple trees. If that wasn’t enough, my Scottish pine and my Blue Spruce tree were pulled half way out of the ground, necessitating cutting them down or trying to stake them down to see if I could save them. On a truly sentimental note, the storms sheared my flag pole off and left the flag floating in the flooded drainage area. My husband, Michael, and I put the pole up in honor of our grandson Aschton, who is getting ready to serve his third tour of duty in Afghanistan as a demolition officer. That’s scary enough, but he just became a daddy last week to a darling baby girl.
Life has its ups and downs, and I have certainly had my fair share of those things. As I walked around my property, the symbolism of the Tree of Life came to mind. In the Garden of Eden, there was a Tree of Life or “the tree of souls,” that blossomed and produced new souls, which would fall into the Guf, the Treasury of Souls. The Angel Gabriel reached into this treasury to take out the first soul that he touched; it would become another tree with a fresh start, positive energy, good health, and a bright future. This is not unlike when a child is born as a beautiful being blessed by God.
Throughout various cultures and religions, the Tree of Life represents many different things to the people of those cultures. One symbolism sees the Tree of Life as interconnected to everything in the universe, a symbol of togetherness and a reminder that we are never alone. The Tree is also seen as a connection to one’s family and ancestors, representing how the branches of a family grow from generation to generation. It may also represent how a person grows stronger, their knowledge and experiences expanding throughout their lives. The individuality of the Tree’s branches are unique to that tree and symbolize the personal growth of a unique being. The roots of the Tree grow deep into the soil to ground and stabilize themselves, just as a person becomes stronger and more vital as they experience life. The Tree of Life may also symbolize relaxation and peacefulness as we find ways of dealing with the stresses of our unique lives. Finally, as the Tree grows old, it bears seeds that contain its very essence, and in this way, it becomes immortal. As we reach our final path, we want to leave our children and grand children with a knowledge of our actions and our character, so that they will have clear footsteps to follow.
As I looked at the pristine Blue Spruce that I planted in the front of my house twelve years ago, I realized it is my Tree of Life, like no other tree I have planted. It has stood tall through so many storms as a witness to many fond memories for myself and my family. As tears run down my face, I remember so many special people, special experiences, and special shared times that have come and gone in precious years. The most special person, my husband Michael, passed away in such a short time, from his battle with cancer, but our deep love carried us through the very hard, dark times, just as this tree has stood tall against the evil of the world, a beacon of light, hope, and peace.
God grew my Tree of Life so strong, but now, I must part with it. Just as this beautiful, pristine tree grew in the past to protect my home, so I must now stretch out my limbs to begin a new journey. Although I am a widow, I sense a togetherness with family, neighbors, and friends. I have been married three times, each giving me a new family and new children to love. I have developed into a unique person, a highly educated teacher , well-traveled adventurer, budding author, and avid gardener. I have become stronger and more vital as I have experienced many different avenues of life. My standards of delight are relaxation and peacefulness that counter the hectic and chaotic world we live in. As I approach that final path, I hope I will leave my children and grand children with the knowledge that a person’s actions and character are what really matters in the final analysis. My Tree of Life will eventually become dust, but my love will be felt as their Trees of Life grow. Faith, hope, and love…the greatest of these is love.
Anna Hartt
