From Tree Stories, A Collection of Extraordinary Encounters: Branches of Delight by Robert C. Fuentes.
As a child, the street I lived on sat smack in between the freeway on one end and the railroad tracks on the other. With five older brothers and sisters to add to the situation, it did not take me long to learn that moments of peace in my life would be precious and few.
Hence, it was my surprise to discover that climbing the elm tree in our backyard during the summer could take me to another world.
There, nestled within its limbs, I would float off to sleep, away from he train whistles and car horns, barking dogs and screaming children. The cool breezes fanned away the day’s heart as the leaves spoke in silent whispers, I listened, learning more about myself than I could have otherwise.
My parents sold their house on my twenty-third birthday. By my twenty-fourth, the new owners had cut down the tree and old it for firewood. But, to this day, I know that its roots are buried there deep in the ground alongside mine.
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As we begin this New Year, and embrace the ten days of repentance from now until Yom Kippur, let us find ways to listen, to learn more about ourselves and our world. Let us find ways to bury our roots deep and strong, connecting us to each other and our world…
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