On Easter morning at 6:30 am we gathered in the EcoGarden with Vaughn Lovejoy, TreeUtah veteran of 20 years. He began with a ceremony in which we sat and watched the sunrise as he read poetry and passages from earth steward savants such as Wendell Berry and Robin Wall Kimmerer. Vaughn was particularly enthusiastic to share excerpts from Kimmerer’s new book The Serviceberry, which paired perfectly with our Serviceberry planting that morning. Vaughn spoke with brightness as he touched on how gratitude and reciprocity can become our currency in a gift economy, as Kimmerer emphasizes in her book.
Vaughn invited us to meditate together on healing with the in-breath, and to meditate on blessings with the out-breath for a few minutes. As we went through the ceremony, we watched the sky move from deep indigo to heather gray, as soft rose tones warmed the clouds, as well as our hopefulness. Seagulls made their daily migration across the sky to the next body of water as the sunrise greeted us warmly.
We gathered around the Serviceberry, not far from the Pink lady apple tree, also with white blossoms. Vaughn shared that during his TreeUtah career, he eventually began the practice of allowing each tree planting to be a prayer. Everyone took a turn to dig the hole. Then, once the root ball had been sufficiently loosened, I offered Vaughn the mycorrhizae to add to the roots. It was then that he said with a twinkle in his eye, “Do you remember when Galandriel gives Sam soil from her garden in the Lord of the Rings?” He of course used this parable to express how mycorrhizae works to enhance the trees ability to uptake nutrients from the soil due to the symbiotic relationship with the fungi and the roots.
Once we finished with the Serviceberry planting, with everyone’s shared support and doting, folks went on to help plant some Elderberry as well as White currant. As we completed the tree planting, I realized the magnitude and magic of Vaughn’s legacy in the thousands of trees that he has planted over the years, each one emanating his prayers.
What an empowering way to make a difference, build community, increase resilience, and ultimately create abundance in the world around us! This work of planting trees that happens with TreeUtah is a shining example of how we as human beings can invoke ecosystem services, which trees so naturally bestow to other organisms and systems. By planting trees ritualistically and diligently, we open up the earth, introduce new life forms, and cultivate the promise of more trees and increased habitat, aka homes.
Much gratitude to Vaughn and everyone that helped out at the Easter Sunrise tree planting! May this healing continue. May these blessings multiply.
