Day 20, Heritage Species

Translating this yesterday or the day before I felt a lot of joy in those thoughts. Grief is in my heart today. Today looking for what have left the generations before around me I don't feel the same. I see that beautiful oak we had to fight for with the neighbors a few months ago. He is still there and allowed people to gather, to share around him and to feel part of something and I am thankful for that. I hope what we achieved will last, but I also know the people owning this land in regard of the law will wait for the right moment to come, cut and sell, this family do this here for almost a century. I see that old Chestnut forest abandoned that probably gave food and wood for a long time before if was cut and it's growing again but till when? I see those big old plane trees providing shade along the river and I think of those who planted them. And I can't help but thinking that the people in charge of this place don't bother to plant another tree when one fall down. When I see the water dripping from the street just under where I live I remember that man who told me that there was a spring here, it's still there, under the street.

Sometimes it's difficult to live a place where disconnection happened so long ago that the traces left are difficult to see. But in each of those memories that brings me grief there is still the stories of someone who planted the trees, someone who remember the spring, people who gathered for a tree they look at like a neighbor.

And also there is these people like you sharing that, like the one who come here read and share with others. All those people who are tired of being disconnected. Who KNOW in the deepest of their heart what it feels like to be disconnected and don't want that for their children, their children's children and long after that.

And finally their are the generation after us, our children and the generations that will come after them and those bring me joy, happiness and motivation. I feel so thankful for them.

Few days ago we were playing in the yard with my 4 years old son, he suddenly stopped, looked at the big oak just above our house (the one I was talking about at the beginning) and he told me :"I hope the great oak will still be standing after we die".