The Gift of Trees

 Of all the poems I learned in high school,

I think I shall never see one lovely as a tree. 

A mother tree lifting her arms to pray. 

It is in these liminal spaces of my mind that poems slip through, like Joyce Kilmer's poem on "Trees" 

 "A tree that looks at God all day, and lifts her leafy arms to pray." I find these trees reaching out to me on country roads, in parks and walks along cement sidewalks. I talk to them when the moment arises, especially while on the golf courses that I have traversed. 

Rest in Peace dear tree
(d. 2021) 

More than any one piece of literature, Kilmer's poem left an imprint on my soul. Though Kilmer doesn't speak of laughter and grace, I find that the trees have their way of dancing with their arms, bringing smiles to our faces. (This pine tree must have had seeds that saw the Native American dancers weaving gracefully.)

With the New Year beginning and worn out worries of 2024 fading into the twilight I wanted to close the year with the beauty I sense daily from the trees. 

"A tree that in summer wears a nest of robins in her hair;"

We are fortunate that our robins never leave us in Oklahoma. We are no longer the treeless prairie as once described by the pioneers. Our trees are filled with blue jays, finches, doves, hawks, cardinals, crows, grackles and so much more. 

"Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain." 

Trees see, feel, and communicate in ways we cannot imagine. Do they weep when their arms drop in storms or a low blow from mankind? I believe they must, but it is their resiliency that I respect. 

Before we left Kansas I stopped to take a picture of this tree. A tree that withstood God knows what. For the eighteen years I traveled north and south on Monroe street through storms, ice, spring rains and dusty winds that tree stood proudly. I named her Liberty.  

I miss our black rich soil of Kansas and the blooming trees of spring, yet,  I relish the Sugar Maples and Bradford Pears in the fall when they turn from greens to yellows, oranges and reds. We watch as our Bradford Pears hold on to half-dried leaves hanging limply in the autumn winds until at last the grasses are hidden by  soft shades of red under the trees.

"A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the earth's sweet flowing breast:"

How is it that one line can mean so much when we see it actually happening right before our eyes. Life is so full of delight and surprise. 

Her home is hidden in Governor Dodge State Park,
Dodgeville,  Wisconsin

Once a year a tree in our neighborhood brings awe and joy to those who find him. He dresses in glowing white lights and casts his eyes upon us with a guiding light to all.  May you all enjoy the gift of our trees in the days and years to come. 

"Poems are made by fools like me,

but only God can make a tree." 

Making Memories

‘The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments."   Alec Wek

Memories are special and personal. My childhood is not like yours nor even my sister's. We often laugh about 'that's not how I remember it.'

Memories are also made for others to share and that is where parents, schools, and communities come together. My sincere applause to the community of Miami, Oklahoma and all who made dreams come true this year with spectacular lights, colorful globes, the tallest Christmas Tree on Route 66, hot chocolate, fresh cookies and sweets. and a main street filled with families making memories for another generation.

I have realized in the last few decades that some of my memories are more like souvenirs. The word parade elicits large floats with scenes of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus; flat floats filled with children from the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and community churches singing; grade schools with scenes from a Christmas play. The floats were larger than life and skirted and covered with chicken wire stuffed with napkins / Kleenex. (I had some experience in decorating floats when I attended NEO.)  In my child’s imagination the floats were every bit as large as Macy’s Christmas parade. My eyes saw glittering shades of reds, greens, whites, yellows, pinks, orange, black, blues, all twinkling, or flashing like magic. Whereas our black and white televisions and newspapers only carried parades in black and white.

Wilson School

My heart filled with joy and giggles when I heard over the loudspeakers Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives. These are the moments that connect their generation with my generation.

A recent "Family Circus" cartoon shows the little boy holding a string of Christmas lights, then handing them to his father, the child declares,

 "Christmas lights up the world." 

In my hometown, Miami, Oklahoma, we attended every Christmas parade from 1955--the 1970's on the first Saturday night of December.  Of course, my vision is in full color and always in my mind ready to roll. As a child, my point of view often caught the tires and lower levels of vehicles passing by pulling the radiant floats. Everything above me was giant in size. Looking up I saw astronomical golden yellow, blue, green, and red balls.  Greenery and streaming lights were as high as the sky and unreachable as a child. 

Vicki Martin, daughter of Russ Martin, recalls that their family had front row seats on the balcony of the Miami Hotel. Their dad announced the parade, for all at home who could not attend, from the KGLC station that was located on the second floor of the hotel. 

What older people and former residents forget is that our parents and community were Making Memories for us. Fifty-years later parents and community are still Making Memories for their children and the children of Ottawa county. They are different memories, and they will have cameras and photos to recall plus bags of candy to remember the sweetness of the night. 

Small towns still sent bands, cheerleaders, dance teams, "Shriners," shinny cars, fancy trucks, sleighs with toys and candy. The lights glowed overhead. People sang along, clapped and cheered for family and friends. 

The children in front of us caught my attention. They jumped and hollered with joy and giggled at the sights on which their eyes feasted.  A gray car, one I called the Bat Mobile drove by and I noticed the children's eyes and awes were thrilling. I wondered what a Bat Mobile would be doing in a Christmas parade? The truth of the matter is that it was a Tesla Truck, and didn't we have shiny new Mustang  convertibles in our parades?  I laughed out loud at myself and could hear in my head the lyrics to Rodgers and Hammerstein's song,

 "Everything's up to date in Oklahoma. They've gone about as far as they can go. They went and built a skyscraper seven stories high about as high as a building ought to go." 

What could be more joyful for a seventy-year-old woman than to hear the voices of children laughing, loving, and spirited in the moments...making memories. 

The highlight for me was to see that Miami honored its best, Jane Osborn, as the Grand Marshall of the 2024 Parade. Her artic white hair, her joyful face aglow, and bright red lipstick set off her genuine smile and love for her hometown. She waved and we waved back. We knew her love and commitment had helped to bring our small town back to life. 

Thank you Jane Osborn, Bill Osborn,  Colby Allen Sign Company, Mayor Bless Parker, Bobby Poole, Debbie East and members of the community who worked together to make this parade of 2024 the best ever for the children with new businesses and brick buildings clean and inviting.

Footnote: Jonya and I drove old Route 66 going home on that Sunday from Miami to Sapulpa. You can't go wrong on Route 66....

For a glimpse of the olden days of black and white in Miami click on this link: 1950's Christmas Parades