Throwback: the God Tree

TREES

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree. 

                        ---Joyce Kilmer 

Yesterday, when I went for a walk in the woods, I visited the Lodgepole pasture. 

It's called that because of the giant double-forked lodgepole which once stood in the middle of the pasture, beckoning all who would come to admire its unique beauty. 

As many know, soon after we moved here, we started the Lodgepole Society.  

Inducting visitors to our place into a society founded by my forester husband Bill provided a lovely opportunity for them to walk the woods to its location at the west end of our place. 

Bill could talk about his trees along the way, and we could all admire the serene beauty that came along with our purchase of the Lovestead back in 2013. 

Sadly, one day the tree with two trunks crashed to the ground.  We heard the boom in the house but did not realize until the next day when I looked toward the far end of the place and noticed something missing----the tree top which stood well above the other trees in the pasture. 

It was sad to see that tree go.  Bill worked on its trunks with the chain saw, and occasionally, we still take people to its resting place and induct them into the society. 

Our good intentions of creating some sort of memorial to the tree---either on its spot or with a portion of its mass---has not come to fruition.

Yesterday's visit provided a different perspective of the fallen tree, as I walked through the area and observed a rather artistic coating of snow along the tops of both fallen trunks.  

The moment brought back so many good memories of dozens and dozens of people from both near and afar,  standing beneath the tree in awe of its regal, comfortable and protective presence. 

Time spent beneath or maybe sometimes within the Lodgepole was always a magical and uplifting experience for the folks who visited and especially for Bill and me as we witnessed utter joy in their faces. 

As I look back on some of the many photos taken at that spot, the little story of our Lodgepole setting morphs into an even bigger, often continuing stories of the friendships and the wonderful connections we have treasured over the years----all because of a tree.

I do miss the touching scene of that remarkable tree as it stood tall in its pasture and "looked at God all day."   

It would take decades and some luck to ever grow a tree to match what I liked to call the "God Tree." 

Happily, though, throughout the rest of our lifetimes, we can cherish countless special moments that single tree provided for us and for all who had the chance to see it during its glory years.

Trees truly are lovely at times. 

Happy Thursday.