If a tree falls in the forest
and no one is around to hear it,
does it make a sound?

In America
We celebrate the planting
Of new trees.
To coverup
the destruction
of our remaining
old growth forest.

Adolescent
In comparison
to ancestors, and
what could have been.

Has a tree ever died of old age?
Has one ever been allowed to try?

If a tree falls in the forest
and no one is around to hear it,

does it make a sound?

I guess that depends
on whether you consider her alive.

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We too often treat this planet as if it just a conglomeration of resources for us to consume. But how would that change if we saw our planet as something that lives?

Have you recently read the classic children’s book “The Giving Tree” by Shell Silverstein? If not, I suggest you borrow a copy from any child’s bookcase. This is one of the most widely known books, since its publication in 1964 people have been gifting this book like crazy. But what is the story really about?

This is how I read the story – A little white boy makes friends with a tree. He grows up and throughout his life uses up all of the resources the tree has from her apples to her branches and trunk until she is nothing but a stump…and he, as an old man, is still unhappy.

How many generations of little boys and girls could have played in her branches, ate her apples and rested under the shade of her tree if one man had not chopped her down? Why is my life worth so many of theirs? (Go to the UUFHNC website and click on the Family Ministries page to learn about how YOU can help fight climate change and save the world!)