Sunlight Under a Live Oak Tree
When I was very young, my grandmother began a family tradition of planting trees in her backyard for each of her grandchildren. She would take us out to our trees at least once a year (all dressed up) to compare growth and take a picture.
The evergreen tree she planted for me quickly towered over me. The last time I checked, it was enormous. I have not been able to bring myself to drive by her old house, in fear that the new owners cut it down.
She possessed an intense love of the natural world and shared it with her grandchildren daily. She loved to sit in the shade of a beautiful tree with a good book. To her, that was a great day. I agree.
Beneath the red canopy of a Japanese maple tree, Nan's favorite tree.
It has been more that a year since my dear grandmother died and I still think about ways to honor her memory. A friend (thank you Kathryn) sent me a beautiful site recently called Trees Instead and I just knew it was the perfect way to honor my grandmother.
Trees Instead allows you to plant and dedicate a tree in memory of a loved one. You could also purchase a bit of land to be preserved or send a Christmas card with the gift of a planted tree.
If you are looking for a beautiful eco-friendly gift this holiday season for the nature lover in your life, or for a green memorial for some one you have lost, I think this is a lovely idea.
If you have the space in your own yard, you could simply plant a tree yourself and dedicate it to your loved one. This isn’t practical here in New England during the winter!
Lineage
I have found that when I’m feeling down and missing someone I love, the best thing to bring me back “up” again is to do something good. Helping someone less fortunate or helping the environment in some way can lift your spirit.
I truly believe that the best was to feel better amid all the craziness this holiday season is by giving – not -receiving. Give to the less fortunate of the world, make a donation to your favorite charity, do something good for the environment and end 2008 with a generous heart.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Amy -
What a beautiful post about how you have chosen to memorialize your Nan. When I came upon the site, Trees Instead – for some reason, I just knew I needed to send it to YOU.
Thank you for sharing the tradition of planting a tree for each grandchild, of your Nan. What a lovely legacy.
I will definitely share this green tradition with my readers over on The LDS GrandParent Place. This is sure to benefit the environment, as more and more grandparents teach their grandchildren, a love of nature and the world around them.
Love,
Kathryn
December 18th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Amy, This is a wonderful idea. I hadn’t yet heard of Trees Instead. Thanks.
My wife and I have planted trees in various places we’ve lived. We’re looking forward to living in the country again someday, where we’ll have to start this tradition!
December 18th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Hi Kathryn,
Thank you for sharing this! I hope your readers will enjoy the tree planting tradition as much as my family does.
I was so happy to have such a perfect idea “show up” unexpectedly. I love when that happens.
Hi Grandpa Shayne – I hope you will have the opportunity to live in the country again and begin this tradition with your grandchildren – thanks so much for stopping by!
December 19th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
What a touching story and a fabulous tradition to start. Thank you for sharing.
December 20th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
This is a beautiful post that resonated with me for two reasons. Firstly, it reminded me of my own grandma, who I miss so very much. Secondly, my mother planted a tree for my step-father when he passed away. That tree was very important to mom and helped us all. It gave us something living to associate with his memory.
How lucky to having something alive that your grandmother honoured you with. Bittersweet perhaps because you miss her, but so full of love.
Thanks for sharing this. It’s a great tradition to start doing this for your kids, grandchildren, any loved ones, if you can.
December 21st, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Thanks for spreading the word about Trees Instead. I hadn’t heard of it either, but what a wonderful idea! Our apartment complex has one tree planted in honor of a much-liked maintenance man unexpectedly felled by a heart attack in his forties. Seeing Randy’s Tree always makes me laugh, recalling the time he appeared at the door beaming because he’d finally found “new” knobs for the old stove that came with the apartment – beaming because they were attached to a new stove! Or when he came by as I was trying to extricate my car after the snow plow piled several feet of snow around the back of it, which had melted briefly and then froze again around one tire. “Just rock it out” was Randy’s manly-man solution. Only when I replied ‘That only works if all four tires can turn’ did he notice the tire encased in ice up to the hubcap. ‘Oh…’ was all he said before calling another maintenance man for tools to free it.