I went wandering through the woods behind our house this afternoon. The ground was covered with layers of frozen leaves. It's the first time I've wandered through there since I was around 14 years old. I tried, in vain, to find remnants of the old bridge my Dad built, to get over the creek. None remained. The old bridge had been replaced by a giant tree that had crashed down some time ago.
It's strange how you can recognize and old tree in the woods, from when you were a child and it can bring back a whole set of memories. I could see, in my minds eye, the sun filtering through a green lush woods, a narrow path from the stream, up through the woods, to the back of the house. I can remember the feeling of quiet and humidity. Of my tired legs. Of holding my Dad's hand as my 6-yr-old legs trudged along side his, up through the woods to the house, being tugged along.
And later memories, of riding Gypsy across that no-more bridge, roots jutting out from the bank as I would ride up the other side, the big tree that was just beyond the bridge, still there....
It all looks so different now, the context seems strange and not quite right....and yet there are those same trees, that tell me that I haven't really imagined it all...that I really was here before
God, thank you for the trees.
It's strange how you can recognize and old tree in the woods, from when you were a child and it can bring back a whole set of memories. I could see, in my minds eye, the sun filtering through a green lush woods, a narrow path from the stream, up through the woods, to the back of the house. I can remember the feeling of quiet and humidity. Of my tired legs. Of holding my Dad's hand as my 6-yr-old legs trudged along side his, up through the woods to the house, being tugged along.
And later memories, of riding Gypsy across that no-more bridge, roots jutting out from the bank as I would ride up the other side, the big tree that was just beyond the bridge, still there....
It all looks so different now, the context seems strange and not quite right....and yet there are those same trees, that tell me that I haven't really imagined it all...that I really was here before
God, thank you for the trees.
Thank you for the lovely story. It reminds me of going back to see the woods I used to play in at Weyerhauser Headquarters out in the countryside sort of near Mt. St. Helens. All the woods are GONE! It was so sad because there used to be nothing but old growth trees there...what a playground for this nine year old. But I have it in my memory and hopefully they are regrowing the forest. Sue Bastiani
ReplyDeleteI love this Heather and am sorry I didn't see it sooner. Would love a little prompt every time you update your blog. I love your writing. It's inspiring besides ( ; I know just what you mean about trees--that one with the hump at the bottom still stands to mark the trail...
ReplyDeleteHow do I send you prompts? I hardly ever blog here, but maybe I should a little more often.
DeleteWhat a wonderful word picture. I wish you would write more. It's lovely, serene.
ReplyDeleteThank you. As you can see, I'm not often on here..it's been two years+ since I entered something. It was great to "walk through the woods" again, as I read it. I had forgotten all about the post until now.
ReplyDelete