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Grayden Larson

Professor Richard Blake

English 2010-409

30 January, 2020

Learning From Trees

Take a second to imagine your favorite place on earth. When I imagine my favorite place,

the coast of southern Oregon, I am overwhelmed with sensations. I feel the warm sand under my

feet and the cool breeze bringing the smell of the falling tide. I hear the sound of my little sisters

laughing and I taste the sweet juice of wild black berries. There are dozens of wonderful

memories associated with the vacation that I took with my family a few years ago. As I look

back, it was during that vacation that I grew to love and appreciate my family more than I ever

had before.

After the eleven hour drive to northern California, we spent about a week traveling up the

Pacific coast. I can still remember finding sand dollars and playing in the cool water with my

four sisters at some of my favorite beaches. One of our beach days was followed by a day in the

Redwood National Forest. When I stepped out of the car and smelled the crisp, clean scent of the

woods around me, I couldn’t wait to start hiking on the winding trails. As I wove in between the

ancient trees with my family, I was amazed at the size of each tree. I was fascinated by the fact

that each one started out as a tiny seed, just a few millimeters wide, and grew into a three

hundred foot tall tree over the space of hundreds of years.

After hiking for a while, my mom told everyone in my family to hold hands and reach

around an especially large tree to see if we could reach all the way around. Even with seven

people reaching as far as they could, we could not connect our family circle around the tree. We
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all laughed after my dad cracked a joke about being tree huggers. In that moment, as I laughed

and held hands with my family members, I felt peace. I was in a lovely place with loving people

and I will always remember the serene feeling that overcame me.

As I look back on that memory, I realize that there are many lessons to be learned from

the seemingly unbreakable Redwood trees. When the Redwoods go through hardships, whether it

be droughts, big storms, or even forest fires, they always seem to make it through and they often

come out stronger. Families, like Redwoods, go through difficult times and have the potential to

become strong and beautiful. My family has experienced our fair share of trials and difficulties.

Though they are hard to go through, when it all blows over, we end up with a stronger

relationship than before.

Another thing to notice about Redwood trees is that they are never alone: they always

grow in a forest with hundreds or thousands of other trees. While Redwoods are known for

having a long life, I don’t think it would be possible for them to live nearly as long in solitude. A

Redwood can always rely on the trees surrounding it for protection from large storms and

support from strong winds. In an analogy about trees and families, Molly Khan said “I envision

the roots as our ancestors, those who came together to give [us] life. But spreading out from

those roots are so many trunks, so many branches, so many living people that are all part of our

history, our family, our future. (Khan)” The structure and reliability of the family unit is rapidly

changing but in today’s world, I think having a loving, secure family is absolutely critical. I

believe that, like the Redwoods, we will not reach our full potential without a strong network of

friends and family members to help us through the hard times.

Though each close friend or family member (symbolized by a branch of the tree) may

develop differently and grow in opposite directions, they are all interconnected at the trunk. As
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we go through this life, circumstances and differences can drive us away from those we have

loved. At times, we may find ourselves growing apart faster and faster. Each of my family

members have interests and hobbies that differ from mine, and that’s ok. Like any normal family,

we have disagreements and misunderstandings but when we look past the conflict, we know that

we are forever connected by our family tree. It is important to note that no two branches in the

Redwood forest are the same; but they are all unique and beautiful! This is true of each of our

families as well. We come together to form a beautiful Redwood tree that will stand the test of

time.
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Works Cited

Khan, Molly. “What Makes a Family - Branches and Roots.” Pagan Families, Patheos Explore

the World's Faith through Different Perspectives on Religion and Spirituality! Patheos Has

the Views of the Prevalent Religions and Spiritualities of the World., 2 Apr. 2014,

www.patheos.com/blogs/paganfamilies/2014/04/what-makes-a-family-branches-and-

roots/.