The Tree

The leaves of the trees are in full bloom

Despite the heat of the summer

They continue to grow and flourish

Succulent greens of all colors

The leaves stay steadfastly to the branches

Growing and developing

A leaf on its own, in the singular is not so spectacular

But the accumulation of all the leaves

Together on the branches is a thing of beauty to behold

The leaves are all branches of the tree

That grows, that blows, that knows

How to grow, how to bud, hHow to develop

The leaves know when it is time to fall

To drop off the branches

So that the tree can retreat for the winter

Only to bud and blossom in the springtime

Again and again

And so the leaves of the tree return

Time after time

Year in

Year out

The tree grows all the time despite the fact

It appears at times as if the tree is not living

So it is with the family tree

There is growth and development

And then there is a time of cutting back

Of falling off the tree

So it appears as if branches of the family tree cease to be

But it is not so

The tree is always there

Branching in different directions

Growing and scaling back at different times

But always growing as life intends it to grow

Different leaves grow

They are part of the same tree

Yet each leaf is unique in its entirety

Sharing the same branch

Each leaf is different

Then the other leaves on the branch

So it is too with families

Time after time

The roots are the same

But the uniqueness of each individual

Makes each one special

And even though similarities are apparent

It is the singularity that is so special

Just as the individual leaf on the tree is not so spectacular

So too is the individual seen in isolation not so special

It is the relationships

Of the individual

Among other individuals

That allows the individual

To grow

To flourish

To become all it needs to be

It is in the family tree

That the individual

Becomes all that it was intended to be

Not in isolation

But as a branch of the tree

All the branches work in harmony

Coming together

Working together

The branches of the tree

Blow and grow together

So it is with you

Always part of a tree

Your past is the future

Your future is the past

So it is for

All eternity