Time Traveling Underneath the Canopy of our Cherry Tree
13 June 2023 - Gratitude
A moment of gratitude to this cherry tree and whoever planted it. This tree has been a delight of the baby daughter who loves to be taken under the canopy to eat the wonderfully tart and sour drupes - pitted by mama of course.
As these magical few weeks of ripeness come to a close, I wonder if the person who planted this tree knew what sort of impact a fruit tree would have: the absolute joy of eating cherries, the joy of watching your child bond with a tree, and the joy of discovery of the gifts of the natural world.
I was already inclined to reimagine the meaning of what a garden is and should be, but now instead of some amorphous notion of planting for the future, I have born witness to that future promise fulfilled. I’ll keep that… wish?… promise? with me, and with every new seed I plant, in the hopes to bare witness again.
25 May 2024 - Picking Cherries with Lili
2 June 2024
2 May 2025
A western storm blows in and grey clouds that reach the troposphere. I offer to Lili, "Let's go visit your cherry tree!" - a special journey because I have to unlock the gate.
“Cherries?!” she says!
“Cherries!” I say!
The windy moist storm blows in and intermittent rain drops fall, but underneath the canopy we only get the luckiest, splashiest drops. I point to the boughs and ask, “Do you see the cherries? They’re green because they’re not ready.” Lili is in my arms and I lift her up so we get a good look at the branches.
-PURE ECSTATIC DELIGHT - RELIGIOUS IN FERVOR - AWE AND WONDER IN THE MOST SPIRITUAL SENSE -
Lili is touched, thrilled, awakened to her core. “So many cherries!”
-HAPPYNESS, DELIGHT, PLEASURE-
I’m holding her and I can feel her glowing. She is radiant and I am in awe. I am so grateful. I am so in love. She is in love. We, all of us, are love.
She wiggles down and we chant and sing and march around the trunk of the tree. She’s learned gibberish from Emily’s grandmother on Little Bear, “Bado backala boolhol! Bado backala boolhol! Bado backala boolhol!!” Around and around she goes until she wraps around the trunk and squeezes as hard as she can.
“Mama! Hug!”
At her command, I hug. And then we hug the tree - full bodied, so tight, so loved. I love the tree. She loves the tree. We march around, “Bado backala boolhol! Bado backala boolhol! Bado backala boolhol!!” We march, we chant, we hug. We march, we chant, we hug.
The spell is done when Lili chants, “Bado backala butthole! Bado backala butthole!” She is silly. Sili Lili.
She looks toward the wind in her face and it swirls around her body, a soft grin as she delights. A quick dance offering for her “babies” the daffodils and back inside we go.
3 June 2025