When I wrote my recent children’s fiction picture book, If I Were a Tree, What Would I Be?, I drew on experiences I’d had over several years with many different trees.
The book tells about two children who love trees. They can hear them with their hearts. They make friends with a cottonwood. The tree helps them, and they help the tree. You can find out more about the book at www.ifiwereatreewhatwouldibe.com
It has been an exciting, amazing and sometimes tender journey of discovery which continues to teach me that trees often want to connect with us. Sometimes they ask for help, positive thoughts, or prayers to give them a boost over a challenge they’re facing. Other times, they have reached out as I dealt with difficulties or changes in my life. As I stood meditating by certain trees, sometimes a phrase would come to my mind. It was just the thing I needed to help me through troubled times.
Was the tree communicating with me? Who can know for sure? All I know is that I felt a loving, caring connection with each of those trees. “Bend with the circumstances” was one message when there were difficult but necessary decisions to make. “Flow with the change” was another when I faced moving to another town, leaving behind a home and neighbors I had grown to love.
Some wise thoughts that trees have shared with me helped to shape If I Were a Tree, What Would I Be? I hope people who read the book find in its pages a message of hope and cooperation that I believe exists between people and trees.
The book is tailored to children ages 4-10, but it can be enjoyed by people of every age. Learn more about it at www.ifiwereatreewhatwouldibe.com.