Aly, I love the vulnerability and openness of this post, the beautiful way you describe the tree and the loss of it. And I also love the phallic baseball bats. 😜 I appreciate when a piece of writing can make me tear up and laugh in the same breath.
Your words remind me of a time in early 2014, of stumbling onto words shared and noticing passion towards loves and interests, of sensitivity and deep introspection. Love you.
Ugh Aly, those pictures are just devastating. I’m so sorry for the loss of your tree and of your friend and for how they’re inextricably linked. Thank you for the way you put words to your loss. ❤️🩹
I still get sad when I visit my home town and see the missing tree that every kid and myself at daycare would climb. It split at just the right part of the trunk and grew wide and sturdy on either side, which made a perfect spot for a kid or two to sit under the shade during afternoon playtime. Trees are more meaningful than we generally think.
This was a beautiful piece 💙 We have a wonderful tree in our front yard and I worry about it every time it storms, about what a loss it would be if it fell. I don't know if you've heard of the Every Moment Holy books, but one of them has a "A Liturgy for the Loss of a Tree" that touches on the grief for other, deeper losses that can be brought up when we lose something like a tree that has been important to us.
Thank you, Jessica. I hope your tree holds strong for a long, long time! I have heard of that book; that liturgy sounds like it would be very meaningful right now. And, yes, it’s about a tree, but not just a tree 💛
Oh, Aly… I am so deeply sorry for your losses. This is a lot. You are doing such a great job managing, and also being kind to (and strong for) yourself in the midst of so many challenges. Thank you for allowing us to bear witness. <3
Also, I chuckled at this line: "I am a sucker for anxiety..."
Aly, I love the vulnerability and openness of this post, the beautiful way you describe the tree and the loss of it. And I also love the phallic baseball bats. 😜 I appreciate when a piece of writing can make me tear up and laugh in the same breath.
Thank you, Tabitha. I tried to add a little levity to the sad post. He draws those baseball bats on…everything 😬
Your words remind me of a time in early 2014, of stumbling onto words shared and noticing passion towards loves and interests, of sensitivity and deep introspection. Love you.
Thanks, love 💛
"The sky screamed loss." Ahh, so honest and achingly beautiful.
Thank you, Lindsay. I know sky can also symbolize space and possibility, but for now, it’s so sad to look out at all the sky I didn’t ask for.
Ugh Aly, those pictures are just devastating. I’m so sorry for the loss of your tree and of your friend and for how they’re inextricably linked. Thank you for the way you put words to your loss. ❤️🩹
Thank you for reading, Kelsey. I’m sorry about your tree, too. I’ll keep putting words to life—the good and the hard.
So sad about the tree. And your friend's sister. :( I loved the words you wrote while you were at the lake.
Thank you, Stacy. It has been a heavy month, but writing helps soothe/make some sense of the loss.
You touch on some really relatable feelings here, Aly. Thanks for writing 💜
Thank you, Annie 🌿
You touch on some really real feelings here, Allie. Thanks for writing 💜
Beautiful and painful. Sorry for your loss. I'm reminded of Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree.
Thank you, Mark. I was reminded of The Giving Tree, too, especially when the limbs were chopped off. It felt like such a sad offering/sacrifice.
I still get sad when I visit my home town and see the missing tree that every kid and myself at daycare would climb. It split at just the right part of the trunk and grew wide and sturdy on either side, which made a perfect spot for a kid or two to sit under the shade during afternoon playtime. Trees are more meaningful than we generally think.
That tree sounds so magical, Laura! Sorry it is no longer there. Trees are so special.
A stunning essay. Praying for you and the family --- and grieving the tree with you.
Thank you, Kristen. 💛
This was a beautiful piece 💙 We have a wonderful tree in our front yard and I worry about it every time it storms, about what a loss it would be if it fell. I don't know if you've heard of the Every Moment Holy books, but one of them has a "A Liturgy for the Loss of a Tree" that touches on the grief for other, deeper losses that can be brought up when we lose something like a tree that has been important to us.
Thank you, Jessica. I hope your tree holds strong for a long, long time! I have heard of that book; that liturgy sounds like it would be very meaningful right now. And, yes, it’s about a tree, but not just a tree 💛
This is beautiful, and I am aching with you. "help me find the good
help me sit with the loss"... holding both with you friend. 💛
Thank you, friend. Leaving space for both.
This is really beautiful, Aly. I ache for you over the loss of your friend’s sister and your special tree.
Thank you, Laura 💛
Oh, Aly… I am so deeply sorry for your losses. This is a lot. You are doing such a great job managing, and also being kind to (and strong for) yourself in the midst of so many challenges. Thank you for allowing us to bear witness. <3
Also, I chuckled at this line: "I am a sucker for anxiety..."
Thank you, Lisa 💛