The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree

I took this photograph on a sunny day in Los Angeles with clear blue skies that enhanced the beauty of these trees. I think of trees as nature’s most beautiful sculpture. I am always amazed at the variety, strength and grace of these majestic gifts to those who appreciate their perennial beauty. Like the book the Giving Tree written by Shel Silverstein, they are treasures to be protected and will return our respect as did “the giving tree” in Silverstein’s touching book about love and generosity and the need to avoid destruction to our most precious natural resources. The book begins:

“Once there was a tree…and she loved a little boy.”

So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk…and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave. This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein’s moving parable is for readers of all ages offering an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another’s capacity to love in return. I like to integrate some of my favorite classic children’s books with my photography. My narrative paired with my photograph of”The Velveteen Rabbit” is another good example of a timeless classic about a toy rabbit’s wish to be “real” who is loved by a young boy’ and lives among his less tattered toys in his nursery. This story is so touching that I remember when I first read the brilliant message by the author about the meaning of being real it brought tears to my eyes. I captured a photograph and wrote a narrative than can be seen in my portfolio on RB.

I associate to a favorite quote that reflects my respect for trees and the despair I feel when they are destroyed to make room for modern civilization and man’s need for consumption and greed at a great expense to our planet’s ecosystem leading to global warming and the innocent victims who confront the wrath of mother nature as we have just witnessed in the heartbreaking earthquake and tornado in Burma and China.

“Approaching a tree we approach a sacred being who can
teach us about love and about endless giving.
She is one of millions of beings who provide our air,
our homes, our fuel, our books. Working with
the spirit of the tree can bring us renewed energy,
powerful inspiration, deep communion.”

- Druid Tree Lore

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