Friday, July 19, 2013

Climbing a tree, hoping the circle will be unbroken?

 Over the 4th of July weekend I climbed a tree. It was tall, full of branches and leaves. Some branches old, but as strong as the truth of oak. Leaves in abundance, over 5000 at last count. Yes I scaled this tree in a journey to learn more about it. Ya see, this tree is one of my families history  stretching to the heavens for miles and miles, budding leaves of knowledge and heritage. Some I knew of, while others were foreign but held purpose.

 Back to the mid 1700s thus far, a part of this tree started to grow. Full of , "doctors and lawyers and such" , a verse from a song yet a lineage of my existence.

 As I studied this tree with my beautiful Mother, learning things of new and old, a  circle started to gather.  An arc of close and yet distant relatives, cousins and kin. Some not seen in years while others just a summer ago.  Some last seen have gone now, past on unexpectedly, but leaving us with memories of laughter, warmth and love. A void that reminds me of a song about a circle.

We start to form another circle under a tree, touching that "..green green grass of home.."  with a soft summer breeze of smiles blowing through our hair and a dusting or two of melancholy and remembrance.  

 Words spoken of laughter, traditions and trust.

 What I know of this tree I climbed has barely scratched its bark. Theres much more to learn, to absorb and to grow with.  I wish to revisit this tree in months and years to come and learn more to strengthen the trust that this family circle no matter how torn and tattered will continue to be unbroken.

There's a few iterations of a song, beginning with AP Carter, patriarch of the first family of country music, the Carter family, then in recent memory, the Nitty Gritty Dirt band who put an album together and subsequent video and kept it relevant in our society's consciousness. The video, includes Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Roger McGuinn, Rosanne Cash, John Haitt, Chet Atkins, Bruce Hornsby, June Carter Cash, Emmylou Harris,, Marty Stuart, Earl Scruggs, Levon Helm and many others. A link is included below.

It's a song of spirit and loss but also of strength, love and family. A song that my family, immediate and extended, holds dear. Dear as the limbs stretch to the heavens, the leaves abundant and full of memories, and a love that forms  a circle that will always remain...unbroken.

Will the circle be unbroken, bye and bye Lord bye and bye..
 

 

2 comments:

  1. Great post, some real truth in this post, and what an amazing video... Theres some real magic going on in that studio!

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  2. thanks for your comment and reading my blog, Randy!

    ReplyDelete