By Francesca Kelly for Go Green Highland Park

On Pleasant Avenue, just north of Roger Williams, stands an oak tree that is more than 200 years old. Its trunk is gnarled and thick; its branches spread wide and high, as if to welcome all to gather in its shade.

There’s a plaque by the tree that reads, “Living witness to history, this burr oak was only a sapling two centuries ago when our nation’s constitution was a fledgling hope in the minds of idealistic citizens.”

The tree grew while settlers arrived, and homes sprang up, train tracks were laid, and roads were paved, leading to shops and businesses. It stands on the edge of Snyder Park, where children have played for decades. 

Now the tree has witnessed our citizens’ sorrow. 

Where can we find comfort from unbearable pain?

After the drowning death of my 3-year-old sister, my father planted trees, both in our yard and on a plot of land he owned. He planted dozens – all evergreens. It was as if he couldn’t bear to see the leaves turn color in autumn, knowing that they would fall. His grief was such that he needed to plant trees that would stay forever green, their color never changing.

The tragedy that happened on Independence Day – a day created by and for idealistic citizens if ever there was one – has changed all of us who live here and beyond. While we will carry this sorrow forever, time will do its part, eventually, in mitigating our suffering. But now, in these tender and raw days following an unthinkable event, it is Nature that can help make our load just a little lighter. 

In Nature, instead of dwelling on death, we can focus, even briefly, on life. We can stroll through the forest, letting the filtered sunlight gently touch our neck and arms, feeling the pine needles cushion our feet. We can wade into the bracing clear waters of Lake Michigan, gasping from the initial cold shock enveloping our bodies, then floating on top of the waves, letting them rock us. We can dig in the garden, smelling the rich dark soil, putting in plants, giving them a home; nurturing them. We can fill our bird feeders and bird baths and watch the birds, squirrels and chipmunks come; plant our gardens and watch the bees and butterflies do their essential work. 

Every tiny bit of life we nurture and are nurtured by provides an offset to destruction. When we care for Mother Nature, Mother Nature returns the favor tenfold, offering those things that cannot be easily destroyed: Mountains. Rivers. The vastness of Lake Michigan. An ancient sturdy oak, flourishing through hundreds of years: the original HP Strong, perhaps.

Go Green Highland Park wishes the power of Nature’s healing on all of Highland Park’s citizens as well as the many more – in Chicago, in Illinois, in America, and throughout the world — who have been traumatized by violence. May we find comfort together through the natural phenomena that have stood strong for ages and will continue to stand strong for ages to come, with our help.

Find all of Francesca’s HPN articles here.