A study in blue

Trees

"You are born alone. You die alone. The value of the space in between is trust and love." - Louise Bourgeois

I have been thinking of this quote a lot lately. The past three days, I was up in the Santa Cruz mountains near Big Basin. Someone told me something about Redwoods that I didn't know...their root system, which spreads out for a thousand feet in every direction, is shared with other Redwoods - that is how they get so tall and live so long. People, like trees, are made for relationships, friendships, community. We are made to help and love each other - that is the point of life. We are made to trust and to have faith and to be vulnerable and see the best in others - we are stronger together. This is life, however many times we see the sun rise and set, all the between-times of loving are what matter, despite how we enter or leave. <3

Also, that quote and being around glorious trees the past few days reminded me of the Chinese name I was given when I lived in Taiwan for a year. My name was "One Tree Stands Alone." It was made from the sound of Melissa Ulrich and the quality when I described my personal history and ancestors. I often feel like one tree standing alone, but deep down, I cling tightly to the roots that connect me to others, even when it seems like I am standing alone.