Our tree, after a few weeks, is still missing.  We are reminded of this when we strain our eyes to see if we can see it from the Rocky Space.  We are also reminded of this when we are on our hikes and pass the empty circle where our tree once was.

We are still sad and confused, but we have been thinking beyond the sadness and confusion. Together, we have been wondering about caring – caring for our tree and caring for the things that live in the Arboretum (a place we care about so much).  So we wonder, How can we let our tree know that we care even when it is gone?

We can circle around the spot and play around the spot for a little while.  Maybe something is going to happen.  Maybe a new tree is going to grow.

-L.H., age 4

Draw hearts on the notes for the tree.  They are love for the tree.  We will put those notes around where the tree was.

-S.P., age 5

As we thought and compiled our ideas, we also wanted to think about the tree and what we want to remember about it.  We didn't know the tree for a very long time, but it was still our tree.  Together, we read The Tenth Good Thing about Barney by Judith Voirst. 

 In this book, a young boy is trying hard to say good-bye to his cat who has died.  His mother suggests remembering the good things instead of dwelling on the sadness, so the boy makes a list of some of the good things about his cat that he remembers.

Inspired by the boy's list, we then created a list about the things we know, like and miss about our tree.  As we were compiling our list, we discovered we had a few more than ten! 

Here is our list: 

The 12 Good Things About Our Tree

1.  He was protecting us;

2.  He was taller than us;

3. His bark was a pretty light color;

4. It was healthy;

5. He was part of the Arboretum;

6. She was there to greet us;

7. We were able to greet him and it said hello back;

8. He used to play with us; 

9. I liked his leaves.  They were mountainy, like mountains connected to make one big leaf;

10.  We loved the tree;

11. It was 5 like a lot of us;

12. It had a beautiful pink ribbon

We have a lot of ideas on what we can do to show our tree that we care for it, even if it never returns.  This week, the children will began preparing a day of celebration for our tree.  This will be a celebration of love and care for nature in which we will celebrate and remember our little Oregon White Oak.  Please check in for details to see how you can participate in our celebration, too!