The Trees

We went on a road trip/camping trip/family reunion up in Mendocino County last week.    I have to be honest, I was a bit worried.  The thought of spending two days in the car with the three kiddos didn't sound all that appealing.  Plus my kids aren't great sleepers, so I dreaded the sleepless nights we usually have on vacation.  Traveling with kids is work, and camping with kids is lots of work.  But the trip was amazing.

Driving into our campsite, through the majestic redwood trees made me realize the two day drive was worth it.  Waking up to the silence under those trees made me forget about the diaper that failed to do its job in the car, the wake-ups that happened every three hours throughout the night, and the crazy blood sugars that happen when I'm trapped in a car for hours.  There just isn't anything like the trees.  And camping under their canopy was rejuvenating.  

We were there to also participate in a dedication of a grove of redwoods to my Uncle Tony, Uncle "Tow-tow" as we used to call him.  Standing on the soft floor of fallen leaves and ferns, and having spent the past three days among the redwoods, I realized why he must have loved the trees so much.  They are calming to the soul, and often his soul was so troubled.  So, I wonder now if these trees must have been therapeutic for him.  If they touched him or helped him in a way that his loved ones sometimes couldn't. There isn't anything like the redwood trees.  They are humbling; so strong, stable, and still. They seem to be wise.  Almost spiritual in a way that can only be felt while standing amongst them.  And so, I too, like Tony, love the trees and miss them now that I'm home.

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