holiday of the trees, full moon

feb 2 2007

im wandering around this world of souls site today, and wondering why im here.

today is tu'besvat. the jewish holiday of the trees. i went with my daughter, and granddaughter up on the hill to where busloads of school kids, and jewish american groups where planting new trees. i live in a kibbutz-cooperative settlement inside of israel. just outside the kibbutz three forest fires burned 2 years ago making space in the forest. so today the forestry dept. organized a replanting. carob trees, oak, pine and spruce(?) trees were planted. we found a treeling discarded in a box, wilted and dirtless so planted it.

it was wonderful to hear the guy talking on the loud speaker telling kids to smile, talk to the trees, to ask mother earth to take care of them.... however later we heard someone say that planting was making the land more ours- not quite sure what he ment by that.

i used to visit this area often when i had a dog. its wonderful to know that ill be visiting these little young ones as they grow, and my daughter and her daughter will also.

the calaniot-poppies are starting to bloom red, and the rakfot-cyclomens are pink and fushia. all over among the rocks and new green growth of plants.

when we arrived at the planting we met one of the organizers. he told us that just recently he was sad hearing someone cut down a 200 year old tree that would have lived many years longer. people had traveled to spend time under the tree.

interesting that this is my first blog. i could have been talking about the cutting down of old olive trees in palestine for the building of the wall. or of the old israeli kibbutznicks that i once saw on tv going to help take care of cut olive trees out of love for trees, dispite the funky politics here.

today is the holiday of trees. the almonds full of pink blossoms of love. the eve of shabbat, full moon, half way between solstice and equinox. magical time.

and i still wonder alot. wander alot.

i almost called out to the camera man that flimed my holding little (2 month old) le-yam to gaze at the little tree "we are three woman shammans here". meaning that we thank mother earth not just tell her to take care of the trees, and we certainly dont posess the land.

le-yam was silent gazing at the tree. when i see the pictures her mom took ill get to see her expression.

love always, connie