I wasn’t even there for the tree.
We planned family photos in their AMAZING flower garden. But when we got there it was still really sunny out and I was hunting around for shade surrounded by open cow pasture, and Kimee said “I always loved that old tree!” In the distance was a lone tree in the field and I said let’s go check it out. As we got closer, the tree just got bigger. A huge shagbark hickory, easily 100+ years old. (They can live to be over 350yrs.) This is Brian’s family’s farm. I asked the boys how long their family has been on this land and they said “…well…there’s dad, and his dad, and grandpa, and his dad, and his grandpa..it goes all the way back to the revolutionary war!” So it’s not just any tree in a Pennsylvania field at all. It’s shaded generations of this family and generations of the animals that have grazed on this land. It might have even been there before America was America.
We did take photos in the flower garden that I love, but these ones make the stars go off in my heart. This old tree has a split up the trunk, it’s bark is beginning to peel, we never know how many more years we have. It was an honor to honor it. Thank you for telling me you loved the tree. I love it too.
If your family (or your tree!) has a story, I want to make sure that story comes with photos.
