The Blessingtree

Yesterday, I stood on a folding stool in the bedroom and strung green and yellow leaves from wire branches. Before the wedding, I commissioned a wire tree from my dear friend, Rachel, who is a sculptor. Instead of having a guestbook, we asked our wedding guests to write notes to us--wishes or blessings for our marriage--on colored paper leaves. These, I laminated and cut out and, now, strung from our tree.

The result is beautiful. The leaves twist and blow in the slightest breeze. It looks rather like a weeping willow, conjuring images of a quiet pond in the golden late afternoon of summer. The words of love from our friends and family whisper around the edges of the scene. We will change the colors as the seasons change, and so we will have a continual flow of tender wishes, heartfelt blessings, and invaluable wisdom--cyclical and ever renewing, like the world we live in . . . the world we are striving to love.

Thank you to everyone who gave us your words, your wishes. Thank you to those who add to our blessingtree in intangible ways. You dress our tree with inspiration, with powerful examples of integrity and kindness. Thank you; we are blessed.