Marshpoint has done a great job preparing the kids for this transition. In hind sight, I think I might have benefited from finding a therapist myself. The past couple of months, the ride to and from school in the afternoons has become more cherished and less chore. Quite unfortunately, this sacred mom time has been rudely disrupted by the sudden and brutal destruction of the forest that lived alongside the car pick up lane. Please don't misunderstand me. I understand that deforestation is a hard truth of our world and in many ways necessary and beneficial. But these woods were personal to me. And the older I get, I see more beauty and life and potential in those woods than I do in ball fields. So, with just a month of school left to go, they began taking the trees down literally in front of us as we sat captive in the car line each afternoon. Heavy machines fell them and slung them into piles like dead bodies as I looked away.
The carnage drew closer and closer to the sacred tree, the Oak that SIP and I called, The Globe. I prayed that they would not take it down. It was along the edge of the property line, not unreasonable to think it might be spared. And sure enough, as all the others disappeared, The Globe remained and a part of me was comforted. It gave me a sense of civility, the idea that in the clear cutting, there was some humanity, planning and forethought, even respect for the greatness of nature that was eliminated for ball fields or parking, whatever goes there in place of the thousands of wildlife members who were suddenly killed and misplaced. Perhaps the Globe would stand as a monument to the forest that once lived there.
For days and days after it appeared all the trees had been taken, I drove there in the morning and again in the afternoon, comforted by the sight of that beautiful unusual tree that eventually stood alone in the landscape. We are now down to one week of school. The teachers have all but clocked out and SIP has summer camp on his mind. No more homework. No more testing. Just showing up left to do.
This morning, against the soundtrack of For King and Country's new hit, "God Only Knows," I drove SIP to school as I have each morning for five years. Today, the Globe Tree was gone. Just gone. I wept. Tears poured from my face for so many more reasons than the death of that beautiful tree. But I think in some way, SIP knew them all. He reached over and patted me on the back never saying a word. What a wonderful child. How blessed I am. God only knows. I wish someone had fought for that tree. It was so lovely, I just assumed no one would take it down. I wish I had fought for it.
