On Saturday morning I was walking near our neighborhood park, enjoying the crisp morning air. I recognized that it was no doubt going to be a rainy day so I'd best enjoy the clear skies while I could. I was surprised to see several groups of people throughout the park planting trees. The trees, maples and oaks mostly, were being planted near, but not under, the many mature trees that grace this lovely green space. It quite a sweet sight, the small, immature trees standing near their towering,botanical relatives, many of whom are probably several decades old.

 I noticed that the trees were being planted by groups of people from several generations. I watched as a grandfather-type held the young sapling in place while two children, a boy and a girl, both with bright red hair, scooped the dirt into the hole in which the ball of the tree sat. I was not close enough to hear the conversation but it was very animated. Their arms flew and their expressions were joyful as they laughed at their efforts. 

Not far from this trio, another generation worked. Three teenagers were just putting the finishing touches on their planting. To celebrate, they handed a cellphone to what seemed to be a supervisor who took their picture standing next to their horticultural feat. Their arms entwined with the trunk of the tree making it difficult to see where human limbs stopped and barked limbs began. I was touched by their pride and found myself wondering if, someday, they will bring their own children to the park to see the tree they planted with their very own hands. That tree, with luck and care, would then be the mature one, tall and strong, as will those who planted it.

I was interested to see who was in charge of this planting party. I approached one of the workers who seemed to be in charge and began to ask some questions. He told me they were a part of Tree Trust, an organization that has been bringing people together to create positive, lasting changes in communities for 32 years. The group recently launched an initiative called Green Futures that brings people together to plant trees in the Twin Cities. You can learn more about them at www.treetrust.org.

All week I had been part of conversations as people registered their helplessness at the devastation off the Gulf Coast. How is it possible to take in the destruction of that beautiful land, the precious water, the vulnerable wildlife? We talked about how, in this particular situation, we have failed so miserably as stewards of God's creation. They were sad conversations and I had been carrying the weight of the words that had been spoken.

So when I came upon these people, all generations working together to plan for the future of the park we hold dear,the park in which we ran and played with our children, it birthed such hope in me. As I thanked the planters for their work, I walked out of the park a little lighter than I had felt in some time. The devastation continues in the Gulf and for that my heart aches. But there are young trees planted near my home, trees that will grow and come to maturity, not in my lifetime, but in that of my children's children. And for that I am eternally grateful. And in that I put my trust.

"For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace;the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12