11 Comments

So beautifully written! What a powerful lesson for your kids! As a retired 4th grade teacher (43 years), I have to recommend a great book to have your kids read as a follow-up. It was a Newbery Honor winner. It's Volcano--The Eruption and Healing of Mount St Helen's, by Patricia Lauber. There are so many great lessons in this book about rebirth.

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Oh Elizabeth! I am so glad you took this trip with your children and that you had such an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing this with us. I Could feel it in my bones when you touched that giant tree with your children. There are holy places around for all of us if we choose to look for them. May each of us find those places of special meaning so that we drop the bonds of hatred and look for a cleaner more just nation. It will take all of us working together and leaning on each other to make that come about. In closing there is a wonderful book The Secret Life of Trees: How They Live and Why They Matter by Colin Tudge. It has been called “A Love Letter To Trees.” In the Financial Times.

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Awesome! I always go into nature to renew my spirit. This is a gift.

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Thank you, Elizabeth. Powerful and helpful.

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This is beautiful and resonates deeply. When I visited Muir Woods I felt much the same. Reverent and happy to be in that holy space.

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This is beautiful, thank you so much Elizabeth. I just returned from a trip on the Oregon coast and the ocean always speaks to me -- as well as the beauty of forests, trees and chirping birds. Nature is so soothing. I wish I lived in a tree house actually.

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Thank you. I went to Sequoia when I was a kid and still lived in S. California. It leaves an indelible impression. I’ve always wanted and hoped to get back there. I’m so glad you had this experience and were able to share it with your children. It’s good to remember there’s still beauty in the world, and peace.

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Thank you for sharing your intense, and amazingly uplifting experience, Elizabeth. Like the others, I'm also very glad you were able to spend this time away with your children for a much needed respite along with refreshing rejuvenation. Your ability to express your emotions and experiences is a true gift. ❤

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Beautiful. I’m so glad you took the chance to nourish and recharge your soul in this way. I have always shared a belief with my Dad (who I often think sounds a bit like yours) that long after human civilization has self-destructed…this earth, those giants, will live on and thrive.

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It is so important to be in nature and feel the solace and comfort of the trees. I just finished reading the novel "The Overstory" -- it's an epic tribute to the power of the trees and speaks of this too. Mutual aid may come from more than humans, as we cope with a dismal future.

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Beautiful. Encouraging. & dare I say, hopeful….

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