A dear friend is dying…
A dear friend of mine is dying. This friend is an amazing tree being that I met years ago.
The year was 2013, I was home for several months as I went through chemotherapy treatment for stage three colon cancer. This was also the year of my reawakening.
My doctor had told me it was important that I keep moving and suggested that I walk daily. So I began making daily visits to a park a couple blocks from my house.
On my walks I would immerse myself into nature, everything was noticed, everything was felt. I could feel a connection being made between me and the earth, although I wasn’t able to explain what that connection was.
As I would walk to the park each day I began to have favorite trees, not that I don’t love every tree, but there were certain ones that I felt spoke to me, ones that I felt a connection to.
The particular tree in this story is a giant pine. He hast to be a couple hundred years old, at least, as these pine trees tend to grow slow
One day on my walk I felt compelled to stop under this tree located right next to the walkway. I put my hand on its trunk and all the sudden I got a huge vision of all of the things the tree has seen in its lifetime. The tree literally took me through hundreds of years in a split second.
I couldn’t believe what I had just experienced. I had never felt anything like it before. That moment was one of the big WOW moments that started to unfold my year of reawakening.
Every day on my walks I would go by the giant pine and I would honor him. Then, I would thank this tree for holding space for all of them many things that he laid witness to over his lifetime.
This week I am back near the park so I decided to go on a walk there this morning. As I walked that portion of the trail I became excited to see my old friend. As rounded the corner and scanned up his majestic trunk I saw that my friend was full of dead pine needles. My heart sank, I felt my friend dying.
I walked up put my hand on him and asked if I could connect. I was given a yes. I saw my friend weary and exhausted. I saw my friend who was ready to return for his spirit to return home after holding space for hundreds of years. I talked to my tree friend and told him to look for the light, that I would be happy to help guide his soul back to Creator. And then I saw Creator holding my tree friend in his arms.
For a moment I was a sad, but then I realize just like us, trees are eternal beings. The vessel that carries our soul may wither and die, but our soul continues on, soaring through the universe for eternity.
For me the beautiful lesson in all of this is the power of holding space,
Holding space for someone may seem insignificant but it is quite the opposite, it’s one of the biggest and most profound healing tools available to humanity.
Trees are beautiful guardians for holding space, they don’t ask for much from us, they just stand tall and strong, witnessing whatever passes in front of them. Trees never asked for accolades, they are silent giants here to bear witness to the unfolding of humanity.
And if you have a moment, send some love and gratitude to the beautiful trees that surround you. They are incredible guardians & wonderful friends.