Children are the Fruit

When I was in my teenage years, I lived across the street from a playground and baseball park. I would walk almost every day around the park with my two dogs, and admire the beauty of the trees flourishing there — especially one weeping willow tree. She was nestled into her own little alcove among the chaos of the baseballs flying around, and the laughter and shrieks coming from the playground swings. There was a bench next to her to start a conversation with her and to marvel over how her branches fell into cascades of teardrop leaves that enveloped and held whoever was near.

I felt like she was the embodiment of my soul.
Like I was those branches.
And in some ways, she reflected back to me my grief and my gifts that I had yet to discover until I was an adult … when I would have some roots to anchor into in order to be present with all that would unfurl inside of me.

This weeping willow tree reminds me of one of the goals that Earthaven strives towards:

Goal 13: We recognize elders as the trunk and children as the fruit of our village tree, and collectively prioritize what all the parts of our “tree” need to thrive. 

All parts of the tree are valuable and vitally needed for our necessary expansion and growth. The children are the fruits of our labor, the accumulation of our wisdom, and the future of shaping our world. They are the next wave of presence and consciousness and awareness that our planet desperately needs for solutions, change, and hope.

And so my hope is that they may know and be seen in their gifts and be celebrated with unconditional love. That they may be held in their expansion and contraction by us — the parents, the elders, the friends, the family, and the mentors. My prayer is that we invest in them and nurture them so that they may burst like ripe fruit with their juicy sweetness into our world.

How are you investing in the next generation? 

I invite you to have the ultimate intentional community family experience this summer with us. Earthaven Ecovillage Experience Week this July 31 through Aug 6 is a deep dive into the embodied essence of Earthaven and its members through events, work days, and classes to further your understanding of community living.

Simultaneously, bring your kids to Eco-Explorers Adventure Week from Aug 1 through 5, our summer program where they will experience community with other children who love nature. This program is also available as a day camp for those of you that would like to commute.

Be your part of the tree … because we need all to thrive.

Your tree hugging friend,

Jill Lacasse xx