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The nature of love seen in our beautiful trees

Ahhh February, the month of love. It’s the time of year when grocery store aisles turn to a sea of red and pink, when chocolate boxes are bought to melt recipients’ hearts and the sweet smell of roses evoke kisses in the moonlight. But, for me, that is not what true love really is.

I tell Goose I love her a gazillion times a day, and typically she replies that she loves me, too, twirling and going about her business. But one morning my tiny cherub fired an arrow straight to my heart, asking instead, “Mamma, how do you know you love me?”

I stopped and considered it for a moment looking out the kitchen window. A backdrop of handmade valentines taped to the windowpane and just beyond the sparkles and glue, a lone tree, glistening in the background, inspiring my response.

“I love you like the tree loves the sun,” I tell her. “I love you because I know no other way.”

She looks at me with squinty eyes asking, “Why then does the tree love the sun? What does the sun do to make the tree love it?”

I considered explaining the ecological relationship that causes trees to grow in the direction of sunlight but, instead, I told her, “You are the sapling and I am the sun. I need you to have a reason to shine and you need me to encourage you to grow in the right direction.”

I wanted to show her that true love is a lot like the little tree outside our kitchen window that is deeply rooted and can withstand adversity, That, like a tree, love must learn to bend in the storm, it must be willing to change as it grows while still remaining authentic to its form, that it must provide shelter for others, even when the inhabitant is a woodpecker. And, most of all, that the tree will remain upright reaching in the direction of the sky, even in the darkness of night, because it has faith the sun will be there in the morning.

So Goose and I strapped on our snowshoes and set out on an adventure through the heart of the forest to observe a different perspective on love through the eyes of Mother Nature.

Our feet slipped into the snow like frosting, the morning sun warm on our faces and all around us there were trees. Some new on their journey, only a few feet tall, others reaching high into the clouds, some growing in clusters, others alone, and some bent and twisted. But, as Goose pointed out, even the trees that took a turn eventually twist back toward the sun.

As we made our way deeper into the forest, the sunlight dims in the dense greenery.

“What about these trees Mommy, how will the sun find them?” And before I could even answer, Goose solved the puzzle herself in her 4-year-old wisdom.

“I know, I know,” she shouted. “The wind, it blows the trees to make room for the sun to reach the ones who need the most love.”

No sooner than she finishes her thought, the sunlight peeks through the canopy. Goose looks at me and says, “You love me like the trees love the sun and I love you like the wind, I will always find you when you need me.”

If I can radiate love from my heart to warm another’s, then I will succeed in the nature of love, on this Valentine’s Day and everyday.

Jenny can be reached at Jennyandgooseoutdoors@outlook.com



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