Power of the Mighty Oak
A good friend of mine named Robert T. Whalen was kind enough to share a story with me about the oak. He wrote to me, "In the ancient Celtic tradition of trees, the oak is one where the god of life takes residence for the winter."
There are five oak trees in Robert's neighborhood and in the winters, he places his right palm on them in homage. He has asked the trees to protect James.
It is so provident that Robert shared this with me because the oaks have been significant in our childhood landscape growing up in Almaden Valley in California. The oak is deeply placed in James's mindscape.
All those that have oaks available to them, place a palm on them for James (sweep off the bit of snow that may have collected for those on the east coast) and ask for what feels right to you.
I found this photograph on the web of a mighty oak with the words inscribed "On the way to Los Gatos." Los Gatos is the town over a hill from our childhood homes about a fifteen minute drive away. James and I spent a great deal of time in Los Gatos in our youth because it felt like a real place, not a strip mall. The main street was filled with mom and pop businesses and had the only place to find gelato in the valley. James was also a bicyclist in his youth and enjoyed the somewhat dangerous narrow road ride over the hill to Los Gatos.
Jennie, your writing is so heartfelt and beautiful. I do not like to write so I will keep it brief. This is my story for you and James and Imogen. James knows all about my 22 year old cat, Gracey. She is a squawker and has only gotten worse with age. Her favorite place to sleep is on my head like a hat. About the time James got sick, Gracey stopped eating, lost weight, and wouldn't walk up the 3 flights to bed. So, we thought, ok, its her time. But, I took her to the vet to see what we could do for her. She still had some fight in her at the vet. Usually they wear gloves to handle her. After blood tests it was revealed that Gracey had a UTI. After a few days with an appetite stimulant and antibiotics, Gracey is her old cranky self again. It was not her time, nor is it James. With all our might and love, James will come back to you, Imogen and the rest of us who adore and love him.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you remember Gregory? The giant oak who's roots dig into the sloped embankment alongside our backyard and proudly stands guard over our house? We were worried about him last summer and hired a tree pruner to climb up (about 150 feet!) and trim his branches so that he would continue to be healthy and not drop any limbs on our house. I will say hello to him tomorrow on James's behalf.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, these posts and pictures are an incredible love letter to James and your life together, it’s very moving to read them. I’ve been thinking of you all every day, and praying for James and a quick and full recovery. It’s also wonderful to see how quickly the GoFund me grew. It’s like George Bailey at the end of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. To James - the richest man in town! Sending Love from Upstate NY, Peter
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