About a week ago, a good friend of ours returned to Mother Earth...This friend of ours was a Grandfather whom I had been acauainted with before ever I had children, but who, after I birthed children into the world, grew to be an important and beloved member of our family. This friend was at once proud and stately, and also open and kind. He offered warmth, protection, a place to relax, and often joined us for a picnic lunch or a romp under the sun. This friend is the Old Grandfather Spruce Tree who watched over the garden and farmhouse at Creamer's Field. We spent time in his shade, climbed his limbs, circled around him as we sang, and played many games beneath his boughs. However, due to a spruce bark beetle infestation, the top portion of the tree has been dying, and had become a danger to the farmhouse and the community. To learn more about our friend, click here or here. Creamer's Field hosted their first-ever First Friday event entitled "In Celebration of the Tree" featuring tree-themed art, which also offered people a chance to say good-bye to the tree. There are also plans through Friends of Creamer's Field, the Folk School and the Boreal House to offer pieces of the tree to community members who would like to create art with the wood from the tree that would honor the spirit of the Tree and also raise awareness and money for the refuge. A living example of "The Giving Tree" to be sure.
Unfortunately, we weren't quite over the chicken pox in time to attend the First Friday event, but we did get a chance to visit our friend to wish him farewell before he was taken down....
Before we arrived at the tree, I told the kids a beautiful story written by Steve (a dad from our Children of the Boreal Homeschool Co-op) which was inspired by the tree.
When we got there, we gave hugs, we made offerings...
We rested our backs against the strength of his trunk as we admired the beautiful views in every direction...
We found a piece of branch that had fallen from the top of the tree when the holiday lights were taken down. We noticed the intricate designs the beetles had left behind, and the holes the woodpeckers made when searching out their breakfasts and dinners.
As we prepared to return home, I turned around for one last look at my dear friend, and was greeted by a lovely sillouhette of the tree...a beautiful memory etched into my heart...
~*~blessed be~*~
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