Looking Around in Awe

This is MY tree. I have no idea what it's address is or who actually is responsible for this actual tree, but it is MINE!

Several years ago, I was driving along a stretch of highway and noticed this proud tree sitting in the middle of a field. It was sitting there, leaves gone, in all its glorious skeletal structure! I became obsessed with this tree.

At the time, I was trying to figure out how to make my Grandmother a family tree of some sort for her birthday. I really wanted to make a tree - not paint or a drawing - but something actually made that represented our family. My tree became my inspiration and led to this tree...

This tree has the names of my great-grandparents as the roots along with my grandparents' siblings, my grandparents' names are on the trunk, and the various branches of our family are on the limbs of the tree. The grandkids and great-grands are listed on the tree as well. The entire thing is rooted on a piece of Kansas granite that I purloined from the side of the road.

My grandmother loved it. She was a bit amazed at how much I knew about my family history - I laughed as I see myself as the family genealogy nut. 

Her family tree has a place in her new home just like it had a place in her previous home.

It amazes me how much I can miss when I am not looking around me. The milkweed fluff is blowing around outside. For some, it could be a distraction and/or a nuisance. For others, it is a wonderful experience (one I don't remember seeing in past summers).

Attitude changes everything.

When I am in a negative mindspace, I miss the little things. I miss the giggle of a 6-year old when he crashes his toy car into his shoe. I miss the twitch of the cat's whiskers. I miss the flash of a sunrise. I tend to focus too much on the mundane, the routine, and the negativity. I admit, I do this often and have to remind myself that there are lots of things that are great about the mundane.

When I am being positive, there isn't much that doesn't make me stop and wonder. This is a positive time - so, I am looking for those wonderful things to inspire me.

I drove past My tree today, all leafy and green in its summer foliage. There may be a tree song in the near future. We shall see...