A new year, a turning of a page. Celebrations were plentiful and a sadness appeared as I was packing all the seasonal finery away for the year. It has become a tradition for me to have a small, cut tree, fresh greenery and many candles and lights to warm our home for the holidays. This year was no different, but a feeling of sadness came as things were put away this year. It took a few days to figure it out. I loved that little tree. I felt a deep connection to the shape, the size, the way it held energy in the corner, and continued to drink the water I gave it. This year, I left it up a little longer, and when I was ready to let it go, it reminded me of other losses in my life. The sadness came and went.
Today we placed it in the woods to become a home for birds for the rest of the winter. It will decompose quickly in the next year and give the earth some new mulch, becoming unrecognizable within 2-3 years. There is always a controversy around buying a cut tree. Our world is full of them….controversies and cut trees. I choose to buy a tree in keeping with the tradition of our family celebration, knowing all along that our environment is over burdened and over stressed in many ways including the creation of Christmas tree production.
There was also joy in bringing that tree home. The smell of the pine, the outdoors, the green after all the gray days. This picture is the cover on the CD I created in 2001 For The Love of the Earth~( http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/fasone ) and I still do! Winter, Summer, Spring or Fall. I gave the tree back to the Earth today with a big THANK YOU to the tree, and I am grateful I was able to enjoy that which gave it’s new life away for the sake of beautifying our living room.
In gratitude for another well-lived year!
Judy