The Trappings of Childhood.....

Most trees don't have names beyond Elm

or Dogwood or Pine.

But ours does.

Most trees don't hold within their branches

the echo of laughter

and the enchantment of childhood,

but ours does.

Most trees aren't marked by

carefully carved proclaimations

of generations of love.

But ours is.

The "Love Tree" isn't just any other tree.

It's ours.

She still stands in an untouched lot with houses built all around her.

She is a symbol that we were there.

That we ran through those woods,

our pigtails trailing behind us

our arms outstretched in the wind.

She still stands

and we still remember

the innocence and wonderment

of our childhood.

Across the woods stands another grouping of trees.

These held no inscriptions of love,

but were the support for our tree house.

My brother Jason and I

spent countless hours hammering nails

into wood and constructing our

magnificent two story tree house.

Our cousins Leah, Scott and Carrie

can also stake a claim here as

they are responsible for more than one nail

in those wooden planks

and more than a million

romps through those woods.

The rope from our swing still

hangs from branches that have grown taller

just as we have.

What a treat it was to retrace the paths of the past

with my brother leading the way.

Rediscovery is one of the best parts of leaving things behind.

Reliving joyful moments is a priceless gift.

As we left Wilson's woods that day

I could almost hear the ferns and ivy calling out to us,

because they were once filled with magic.

"Come back! Be carefree

and get lost in your imagination again!"

I wonder,

how can one stand growing up and leaving

the delight of childhood behind?

The answer is simple:

Embrace the stories of days gone by

and find the best moments to tuck away in your heart

so that you can retell them to your

children and watch their eyes fill with the same

fascination that once captivated you.

In this way,

you will never really grow up

not in your heart.

In the words of Captain Hook:

"Growing up is such barbarous business,

full of inconvenience....

and pimples!"

*

First tree to the right and straight on til morning!