Tree for Thought

On a winding hillside along Birch Lake, various trees and organic landscapes hide my sacred place. It is located in the backyard of my grandparents’ house. To the average outsider, it is just another pine tree growing among piles of leaves and pine needles that blanket a grassy hill leading down to the lake. In my world, it was a place where I could lie at an acute angle and visit a tree I gave …

…so I assured myself. I always left Birch Lake with a sense of comfort. Although my visits now are few and far between, I still go back to the lake and visit Spike when I can. Spike and I have both grown quite a bit over the years, he more so than I. He barely came up to my knee the day we met, and today I need a ladder to touch his bristly head.