Trees

The Kapok Tree grows in the jungles of the southern Nepal.  The trunk rises straight in a vertical line to the sky and branches make their appearance as a round clump towering over the forest.  Black and white, wide faced monkeys chirp from the branches to the Barking Deer who graze in the underbrush below.  These two creatures have a symbiotic relationship.  The monkeys toss leaves to the grazing deer and sound an awkward howl to warn of nearby predators.  The deer mirror the favor, standing guard while the monkeys forage on the forest floor.  The tree sanctuary in anchored by massive roots that grow high and attached to the trunk creating the appearance of a giant webbed foot.

Juvenile Kapok Tree trunks are covered in sharp thorns to protect against predators.  As the tree matures the thorns slowly fade into the bark first becoming warty numbs and eventually disappearing as the tree nears maturity.  These thorns allow the tree to grow into largest tree in the jungle.

I first saw this try while riding on top of a two ton elephant, clutching my son in my lap.  I immediately wished my son could be granted a similar protection against the perils of youth.  I wished he had a thorny coat for the days his mother had no patient, the hour he might be betrayed by a best friend or the moment he needed stitches. 

I returned from a short trip to India this week.  I felt apprehension about leaving my son for four days.  I didn't want him to miss me or wander from room to room asking for me.  When I walked in the door my son was playing happily with his babysitter.  In my absence he had great adventures with his father.  They visited Santa together, had pirate sword fights and went to dinner with new friends.  JAC seemed at ease and oddly knew dozens new vocabulary words.  He hadn't missed me at all.

Later his dad confessed that JAC had asked for me but Jess gently explained I was on a short trip.  They would have a "guy's weekend" at home.  Slowly I realized that I wanted to protect my child but thorn covered armor would never work.  A better analogy might be strength training.  Each sore muscle is caused by tiny tears in the muscle.  As the muscle heals it reforms stronger and more resilient and that is exactly what I want for my child. I can't protect him - every mother knows this.  I can soften tiny bits of saddens as he grows stronger.