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There is an ancient tree that grows down by the river … she is very old, very young; very happy, very sad; very lonely, very loved … very wise.
She has been struck by lightning, she has been diseased … she has choked, she has starved, she has fought for the light. But she has grown stronger for all that. Her roots reach deep into the core of the earth, and her branches mingle with the stars. She is a home for all creatures, giving food, shelter and shade.
There is a man who tends the garden where the tree grows. He has lived there all his life. He grew up in the garden, married in the garden, raised his son in the garden. He buried his wife there, down by the river, near the old oak. Of all that grows in the garden, he loves that tree the most. When he was boy, he would tangle himself in her branches, and read till the sun stenciled the pattern of her leaves on his face. When he came home at night, his mother and father would laugh and call him “Walking Tree.”
One morning, late in the summer, the man woke up sick. He could hardly get out of bed. The next day he was no better, and every day he woke up weaker than the day before. Finally, he drove himself to town to see a doctor, who told him he was very ill. He would have to stop work, leave his home in the country and move to town for treatment. And he would have to do it now.
The man drove home in disbelief. He went back to work, and tried to hold it together but he got so weak he couldn’t even pull a rake. His son came over to see him. He said, “Dad, you can’t wait. You’ve got to get help. You can stay in town with us.” His son made the arrangements, and then came over to help his father pack. He told him he would pick him up at noon the next day. He said, “Don’t worry Dad, you’re all set to go.”
After he left, the man went outside. He wandered through the vegetable patch where the pumpkins grew, plump and festive, and the sunflowers dropped their seeds. He wondered how to pack all this beauty inside and carry it with him. He walked down the garden path to the old tree by the river. He sat and leaned his back against her trunk. He felt her strength. She had always been there for him, standing behind him, listening, laughing and crying with him. If he walked by without noticing her, she would drop an acorn on his head, or, with a branch, write a
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