Years ago, when I was traveling and working, I interviewed a witness at his collision shop that was situated across from a beautiful lake. I commented to him about his beautiful vista outside his front window and he pointed out a tree growing near the shoreline. He said that he had planted this tree and placed his father's ashes there and so now he had daily "conversations" with him. I carried that wonderful thought with me for a long time. When Carol and I married we combined two families of girls, two of them in their young teens. This led to many stressful days of "refereeing" the disputes that arose. Carol and I took almost daily drives through Kensington Metro Park near Brighton, MI just to settle the nerves and talk out the day's events. This is a very beautiful, treed and laked park with many deer and much other wildlife. We talked about the tree idea and decided to plant one in Kensington before one of us died so that we could enjoy it and the children could enjoy it before it became a "memorial tree." We purchased a strappling and planted it on the top of the highest point in Kensington Park, overlooking miles and miles of trees and lakes. We had many a picnic at "Our Tree" with a Subway sandwich or a pizza over the years. Our children and their children, our grandchildren, now enjoy our tree and know that it will be the final resting spot for our ashes. At night, the lights of Ann Arbor, MI can be seen 25 miles or so to the south. The young tree is finally starting to grow and mature. The colors in the fall are brilliant and we didn't get to photograph it this year until yesterday when it was raining and drab out but warm and inviting to us.
