Breathe Campaign!
I have always been a tree hugger. Whenever we travel, part of my sightseeing will be admiring the trees in this particular country or that. Funny, people would be aiming their cameras on the monuments and I would be aiming mine on the trunk of a huge old tree.
When I was at the university, on the way every day, I noticed a beautiful tree standing gracefully coming from the womb of a huge rock. I always asked myself how a tree can grow out of the rock with no sand to become such a proud, beautiful tree. That’s the beauty of god’s creations, there is ability for life to happen in every environment. I fell in love with this tree, and my one hour journey to university everyday was all about waiting for the moment to admire my tree.
I believe my love for trees started from my own home. My mother loved planting in her garden and inside the house. She loved her plants so much that at one point we had no space around the living area from the many plants we had. If we dare to complain my mother would say they are my children as you are mine. That would surely put us in our place and complain no more.
When I ran my first business in Jordan, she came to my office holding a beautiful cactus in her hand. That was her gift for my new office. She told me this will teach you how to be patient and resilient. She knew exactly what I needed, in a business as tough as the one I was in, and she gave me the right plant for it. I guarded my cactus as my child and when I sometimes forgot to water it, I watched its resilience and patience being waiting for me to give it my attention again.
Every tree has a story, and every plant is good for something. I talk to my trees and ask them to love me and us even though we sometimes harm them and neglect the fact that they are the source of our life. Imagine a world without them. Bare naked without trees. There will be no life at all. Our lungs depend on the oxygen they produce, and our eyes relies on their beauty and grace to give us peace and serenity.
My mother was a beautiful soul and a true fighter, fought two open heart operations, an ovarian cancer, a widow at 40 and 4 kids to raise on her own. She lived to see her grandchildren and two children of her grandchildren. Her heart took too much and shortly after her 80’s birthday, her heart was exhausted. And although I felt she was ready to go, she was still patient and resilient, for us mainly. But her body was lacking oxygen. There was not enough oxygen to keep her heart pumping and after a long journey of giving and loving she slipped away peacefully.
When I was with her in her last days I was thinking of trees. If I can only bring her a tree next to her to give her the oxygen she is lacking. To allow the tree to embrace my mother and give her life. But the tree was not allowed in the Intensive Care. So, my mother slipped away dreaming perhaps of hugging the tree of eternal life. There is a tree, a beautiful tree, waiting for you mom in heaven with a beginning and no end. In the meantime, and on earth, I am planting for you trees everywhere around the globe. The world will breath and oxygen will be everyone’s right on this earth in your memory my beautiful soulmate mother. Rest in peace mama surrounded with heaven trees.