The Guardians

I have a sacred space in my property, and these trees are the guardians of that space and also surround a large koi pond. There is a pathway and benches to sit on, stone groupings and statues. This year the storms have thrashed it. The curly willows have dropped branches and twigs all over the place, but they still stand strong.

I'm what they call a tree-hugger here in the Padific Northwest. It's not the most popular thing in an area where logging rapes the mountainsides on a daily basis and people's incomes rely on that very industry. But, I love trees so much. I believe that they are sentient beings, just not in a way we can easily understand.

Once I drove to work passing through an area forested with alders. When I drove home from work, the road was 6-8 inches thick with leaves and it wasn't autumn. During the day, the area had been logged and a line of trees was left along the road. These trees had all completely dropped their leaves as if they were in shock and grieving, their leaves falling like tears.

Since that day, I see trees through different eyes, and I've never been the same.