Tree Hug

Sometimes its the massiveness of life that blows you away. The scale in nature can hold you so profoundly.

On a recent walk in our arboretum, we came across this massive weeping willow near our beloved river. Contemplating its portly mass, it's hard to imagine the years of growth. While I learned to ride a bike as a child, the willow was here. Graduating from high school and wondering where life's trails would lead me, it was still here in its spot by the river. The year my husband and I became engaged, again it was here during our visit to find a background for our wedding pictures.

And today, 25 years later, as I stroll with my youngest daughter, like a sentinel, the willow remains perched for our pleasure.  We snuck under her limbs to admire the labyrinth inside, to sneak in a Mommy-daughter hug, enveloped in her protection.