To others
it may not seem as much
but to us
it's kind of a big deal!
Each Christmas we like to give our children something with meaning. The Mr. and I like to hand make something that we hope they will treasure not only the item itself but the meaning behind why we chose to give them what we did.
This year our gift to them was a charcuterie board made from our cherry tree.
It wasn't until I personally started researching the value and blessing of trees that I could not have been more excited to give our children not only a piece of history but also some pretty fabulous information that I was quite sure they were not aware of.
Here is some of what we shared with them...
Since the dawn of time humans have sought shelter in trees, trees provide oxygen, paper and building materials. Trees also provide physical security in the form of shelter, windbreaks and a sense of place. We clothed, built homes, provided food and even sailed ships and boats for thousands of years with trees. Olive trees provide olive oil, Fruit such as apples, cherries, pears, walnuts, pecans, dyes and jams all come from trees.
Trees "talk" to one another by exchanging chemicals. They communicate through underground fungi, and when they can recognize their relatives, they share nutrients. A great metaphor for the human life - that families need and should always support and help one another.
We talked about the love that both the Mr and I have for wood from a tree. For me it was the sound of the saws, the cutting of the wood, the smell of the polish, the pounding of the nails as I watched in admiration my grandfather as he repaired antique furniture to provide for his family. And the Mr's love for trees that comes from watching his father plant hundreds of tree's on their property over the years as well as a lineage of craftsman of wood and stone.
There is something special about the texture of wood, it's natural warmth and it's strength is miraculous. They are looming, quiet souls that watch over us as we develop, imperfectly, they are witnesses to our history, good or bad, without judgment. Like a companion who will always be a reminder of the past, trees are a constant.
The Mr. has fond memories of planting his first tree when he was four years old and watching the trees grow "while I grew into manhood, each one having a spiritual connection with my parallel growth."
Trees play a role in the context of play and recreation, as well. We use trees for crafting musical instruments and constructing boats and canoes. We have picnics under the trees and take walks through the woods.
At the spiritual level, trees help us become more aware of our connections with something larger than ourselves. We had the opportunity to visit the Redwood forests this past summer, it was the most spiritual place we have ever experienced. It took our breath away at their grandeur and beauty with the Sequoia roots deep into the earth and branches reaching 380 feet high to the sky.
We presented the beautiful cherry wood boards the Mr had created from the very tree that he had cut down in 1994 from our yard as the tree had given in to insects and disease. It is the tree that we watched our children climb in and build forts in when they were small. He had saved a piece of the trunk for it's beauty and strength in hopes of some day giving it purpose.
We pointed out the rings on the trunk and how each ring represents one year of growth. We made note of the size of the rings and their representation of drought or heavy rains. Cherry trees grow hard and slow but their density of the fiber and brilliant red color is characteristic of only Cherry. And like humans their midlife is strong and vibrant and much slower growth near the end of the life. At times we are strong and at times we are weak. Sometimes we blossom and at times we are more stagnant. We are naturally protectors.
All that we learned and shared really is connected to our lives here on this earth. It is our wish that our children and grandchildren learn to respect and love the simple cellulose fiber that we take for granted each day. We don't often think about the beauty that surrounds and protects us as well as how connected our human lives are to the earth.
It was a wonderful learning lesson for all of us and I am quite certain the Charcuterie boards will be treasured for years to come.
XO <3
