11/06/2025
Ode To My Tree Friend
I've known this tree for 10 years.
I've visited it during different seasons of my life.
It began in a season of new beginnings, filled with promises, happiness and blooming with lighthearted joy.
Then came a season of unbecoming filled with confusion, shedding, longing, and pain.
That shifted to a season of shattering, filled with darkness, aching loneliness, hopelessness and grief.
Followed by a season of rebirth, filled with hope, triumph, miracles, childlike optimism and playful gratitude.
On and on my seasons went, here this tree stood for them all, going through its own seasonal shifts in winter, spring, summer and fall.
It held my fears and drank my tears, just as it listened to my laughter and held space for my joy.
I've brought little and big humans to visit this tree over the years.
To sit with, play under and bask in its glory.
But mostly I've come alone.
This tree never judged my seasons as one being better than the others.
It taught me I could endure all the shifting, changing and growing that life brought my way, that I was made for this...
Even the times where I felt like I was falling apart I was reminded that those trials were just preparing me for rebuilding moments to come.
Thank you, tree, for all the wisdom you have bestowed upon me...
For never judging,
for standing tall through every season,
for showing me what it means to just be,
and to accept all of myself as I navigate the messy cycles of life.
You’ve shown me the importance of grounding my roots deep
so my branches can reach for the light.
You’ve reminded me that the winds and storms don’t come to break me.
They come to reveal my strength, my resilience, my adaptability.
And for that, I thank you.
For reminding me to weather every storm with grace, patience and steadfastness.
Each season was a necessary step along the way to help me tap into my remembering of my connection to all things in nature.
Each tribulation helped me come back more resolutely to my connect with the Source of all Creation and my Highest Self.
Thank you tree for reminding me to use the stuff of my life to awaken, shine and nourish the world around me through my loving, kind and compassionate presence.
I've known this tree for 10 years and it has known at least 10 different versions of me.
Thank you tree, Source and Self for never giving up on me, even in the darkest moments when I wanted to.
With love & gratitude,
Veronica
This tree lives in Knight Park in Collingswood, NJ. Earth is alive. Nature is wise. Trees are our friends. What a gift. This is only one of my many tree friends that I frequently visit. Do you have trees you spend quality time with or admire?
