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| 11/17/23 Silhouetted Mt. Rainier from Maple Leaf Park |
My appreciation for nature hasn’t been lifelong. When I was
young, I was indifferent to nature unless it was of direct benefit to me (such
as snow days). My parents, however, valued nature and expressed appreciation
for it in many ways. My mother was a haiku poet and sumi painter, and most of
her subject matter was based in nature. In his retirement, my father became a
painter too, and a favorite subject was his beloved Mt. Rainier.
They bought the house I grew up in because of its splendid view of Lake Washington and, at least in winter, Mt. Rainier. The rest of the year, however, a huge maple tree’s foliage blocked much of the mountain, which annoyed my father greatly. He was not one to complain about problems he could solve, however; he was a man of action.
I don’t know if the tree was on public or private property. I’m guessing there was no discussion with my mom, as she would surely not have approved. All I know is that one day he left the house with a saw, and the next thing we knew, the maple was missing a large chunk of branches, giving us a more complete view of Her Majesty. My preteen self was not particularly impressed. Whatever, dad.
Later in life, he mentioned often that he wanted his ashes sprinkled on Mt. Rainier. The summer after he died, my family gathered there to fulfill his final wish.
I’m grateful that I eventually grew to appreciate nature as my parents did. No longer having the regular view of Rainier that I grew up with (I had no idea then how precious it was, nor did I give it any thought), I cherish whatever glimpse I can get.
Beautiful dad story - I’m with your dad’s intentions in ‘trimming’ the tree, but maybe I’ll do it differently - to not let anything come in between me and my beloved. So - thanks for my new mantra - “I cherish whatever glimpse I can get of the Beloved.” Thanks -Roy
ReplyDeleteThanks, Roy! Glad you were inspired for a new mantra!
DeleteWhat a great story about your father and the view of Mt Rainier. It obviously took a while but his love of it is still growing in you.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think so! :-)
DeleteLovely connecting of past and present and how wonderful that you can always "see" your father when you catch a glimpse of the mountain. I credit my own dad with my appreciation of and need to experience nature and for that I will be forever grateful. He was always after me to be more observant, pointing out that bug carrying a leaf underground or the fish in the stream that kept ignoring our bait or a strange bend in a tree that he wondered what had caused it. Many years since he's been gone but the older I get, the more observant and curious I've become and I chalk it up to the hours spent with him.
ReplyDeleteThose are wonderful memories of your father! I think it takes a while of being an adult to realize and appreciate what we get from our parents that we weren't aware of at the time.
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