What would a celebration be without our loved ones?

Our strength lies in our roots

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

"The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always. No one has ever successfully painted or photographed a redwood tree. The feeling they produce is not transferable. From them comes silence and awe. It's not only their unbelievable stature, nor the color which seems to shift and vary under your eyes, no, they are not like any trees we know, they are ambassadors from another time."

John Steinbeck

A truth I come back to time and again is that we mimic nature in all ways.

I learned in my early twenties how important my foundation was. Taking little counsel as I set out independently, I made my fair share of missteps. In short order, I understood that my loved ones (by Richard’s definition) provide the foundation upon which I walk, build, create and celebrate. For a year or two, I lost my tether, floating through space like a few too many astronauts I've watched in the movies. (Yikes.)

A tree's beauty lies in its branches, but its strength lies in its roots.

Continuing the story of our celebrations, when we arrived in Los Gatos for Sammie and Scott’s wedding, we found our Airbnb nestled beneath a grove of ancient Redwoods. Instead of entering the house, I walked straight onto the side/back deck and stood transfixed, staring straight up into the treetops and the sky in all its glory as their backdrop.

The Redwood is

a tree of immense physical vitality, with rapid growth that supports its own life, and the life of other species. The Redwood is a celebration “of the stature and majesty of physical incarnation and creation.” - Urnabios.com

It had been years since I'd stood in a Redwood forest. I'd forgotten how magnificent these guardians are. The wind was blowing. The tallest of the tree tops were swaying together in harmony.

Rick had to suggest we go inside to check the place out.

Hmmmmm, okay. I guess...

If our world leaders could take a lesson from the Redwoods, imagine what they might learn from these giants that stand the test of time, resistant to rot and fire, their leaves drinking in the fog and, in turn, creating rain, storing more carbon than most any other tree, learning how to sway together in the breeze, protect each other through the storms, and use their remains to generate the next generation.

(Exhaling the deepest of yogi breaths)

We enjoyed the weekend, beyond blessed to have our buddies, the Klooses, sharing our Redwood respite, spending mornings chatting over a cup of Joe in the living room with the well-worn stone fireplace, sharing its scent of a much-appreciated history, even though we were not able to imbibe since fire season was only nearing its conclusion.

On the day of the wedding, retreating after coffee to our rooms to ready ourselves was genuinely its own celebration as we gathered dressed to the nines, excited to embrace the special day awaiting us.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

The wedding by day’s end would connect us with many who have helped build our collective and individual foundations. There isn't a more extraordinary gift.

A tree's beauty lies in its branches, but its strength lies in its roots.