17 Cherry Trees: Prayers and Thoughts about Parkland
Today we mourn for 17 people whose lives were taken from them in Parkland Florida yesterday. It is a place that I had never heard of until yesterday; a place where a lot of people just drive by on their way somewhere else but well loved by the people who live there.
We mourn for the loss of these children, but moreover we mourn the loss of childhood. When I was a child, school was a place of safety. It was a place where you could tell adults about things and they would do things about your problems, all in preparation for you going out into the real world and helping people too. It was a place where you learned things and if you were a child of the 80's like me, it was a place where climbing under your desk and covering your head was supposed to protect you from a nuclear bomb.
We are not going to debate gun control here, at this time (though it is a conversation that needs to be had). We are not going to debate what happened, or why. We are going to acknowledge these things, though. We are going to call them what they are; tragedies.
When we see these things, we say the same things "thoughts and prayers". Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this massacre and though they need their due, their recognition, our thoughts and prayers are with the scores of other people, young and old, who have died in school shootings this year and every other year.
We are deep in planting season for this year. Our gardens are supposed to be safe places. We posted earlier about finding bullets in our garden. and it was very concerning but we did not know what to do so we got rid of the bullets and continued working. Where did they come from? What could have happened? At times like these, when there are more questions than answers, we did the only thing that we could do... keep planting.
We have been tasked with creating a new garden. This new garden is part on school property, but in order to get the local community involved, it will be partially in the local neighborhood. The new garden is just outside of Atlanta; miles away from Parkland, even further away from Columbine and Sand Hook; but the kids here have to prepare just the same. The goal of the garden, as with everything that we do, is sustainability. While we are busy planting all sorts of veggies, we are also always looking at the future. Our students are planting things that will grow for today, but that will also continue growing for years to come.
Today, we planted 17 seeds for cherry trees in honor of those whose lives were tragically taken, and as well for those students who will have to go on. We planted them for the students who will, at some point, have to go back to that school and wonder. We planted them for the students who will go to that school for years to come. We planted them for the students who have to practice evacuation routes and active shooter drills all over the country.
As we work to create this new garden, the key will be longevity, sustainability, and ownership so these students feel as though they are a part of the school and their community and that their school and their community is part of them. The trees we plant today will not bear fruit for years.
This is our new project, planting in remembrance of those who were taken and building and growing for those who will come after. Today, it was 17 cherry trees. Tomorrow, we will be looking for peach trees and apple trees. We want to keep planting, and we hope to plant because want to plant, and not because we want to honor someone who is gone.
Until then, these are thoughts and prayers...thoughts and prayers.
More information can be found at www.thelifecooperative.org
We mourn for the loss of these children, but moreover we mourn the loss of childhood. When I was a child, school was a place of safety. It was a place where you could tell adults about things and they would do things about your problems, all in preparation for you going out into the real world and helping people too. It was a place where you learned things and if you were a child of the 80's like me, it was a place where climbing under your desk and covering your head was supposed to protect you from a nuclear bomb.
We are not going to debate gun control here, at this time (though it is a conversation that needs to be had). We are not going to debate what happened, or why. We are going to acknowledge these things, though. We are going to call them what they are; tragedies.
When we see these things, we say the same things "thoughts and prayers". Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this massacre and though they need their due, their recognition, our thoughts and prayers are with the scores of other people, young and old, who have died in school shootings this year and every other year.
We are deep in planting season for this year. Our gardens are supposed to be safe places. We posted earlier about finding bullets in our garden. and it was very concerning but we did not know what to do so we got rid of the bullets and continued working. Where did they come from? What could have happened? At times like these, when there are more questions than answers, we did the only thing that we could do... keep planting.
We have been tasked with creating a new garden. This new garden is part on school property, but in order to get the local community involved, it will be partially in the local neighborhood. The new garden is just outside of Atlanta; miles away from Parkland, even further away from Columbine and Sand Hook; but the kids here have to prepare just the same. The goal of the garden, as with everything that we do, is sustainability. While we are busy planting all sorts of veggies, we are also always looking at the future. Our students are planting things that will grow for today, but that will also continue growing for years to come.Today, we planted 17 seeds for cherry trees in honor of those whose lives were tragically taken, and as well for those students who will have to go on. We planted them for the students who will, at some point, have to go back to that school and wonder. We planted them for the students who will go to that school for years to come. We planted them for the students who have to practice evacuation routes and active shooter drills all over the country.
As we work to create this new garden, the key will be longevity, sustainability, and ownership so these students feel as though they are a part of the school and their community and that their school and their community is part of them. The trees we plant today will not bear fruit for years.
This is our new project, planting in remembrance of those who were taken and building and growing for those who will come after. Today, it was 17 cherry trees. Tomorrow, we will be looking for peach trees and apple trees. We want to keep planting, and we hope to plant because want to plant, and not because we want to honor someone who is gone.
Until then, these are thoughts and prayers...thoughts and prayers.
More information can be found at www.thelifecooperative.org
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