A Tree of Your Own

trees possess an enchanting charm of sorts.  So, living with an abundance of trees here in the Portland area, it could be surmised that we're a bit spoiled in that regard.  I would tend to agree.  the beautiful greenery gracing our state is Oregon's crowning glory, in my opinion.

Workdays spent driving around Portland for more than 20 years gave me ample opportunity to appreciate trees, albeit from a distance.  I never grew tired of navigating the streets, roads, and even the freeways, Which are so beautifully lined with trees of all kinds.   

While driving into Portland from the Sunset Highway, one would never guess that a large bustling city is right around the corner.  In what seems like a blink of an eye, thickly wooded, lush greenness is transformed into metropolitan downtown Portland.       

After enjoying the beauty of Forest Park, which I used to think was an oddly simple name for a park, it became apparent that no other name could be nearly as appropriate.  It reminds me a little of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  The foresight and efforts taken to create beautiful green spaces in the middle of large cities is nothing short of amazing. 

A book given to me by a friend many years ago was filled with thoughts, poems, and pictures.  I was drawn to One page in particular, as it was dedicated to the beauty and wonder of trees, along with a unique concept that everyone needs a "tree of their very own".

Anyone can have a tree of their own.  Not in a legal, written up on paper way, but by way of seeing it at a bend in the road, or by taking notice while walking down the street.  It becomes yours as you regard it when passing that way.  By taking notice of its beauty through seasonal changes, year after year and through the decades as well, it becomes etched into heart and mind.  Neither fence nor title can take it from you.  

Take your choice among them.  Make one your own, a tree that even the birds cannot possess more fully.  It will be yours, for the finding, and for the keeping.