A tree that opens many contemplative questions

Within a Dogwood

Within a DogwoodAfter an April rain leaves its drops on a blooming Dogwood in front of a local school

We were running around our community, doing normal business. I had my camera with me, and the rain had stopped a short while before. "On our way back, I want to photograph that dogwood," I said to my wife.

The particular tree was in front of a school. Curtis Corner Middle School in South Kingstown, RI. Our sons went here during the COVID scenario that gripped the country. During that time, there was political division in the town over this location. In the end, a decision came down saying that this school would close at the end of the 2023 school year. There is still residual pain in the town over these matters.

We asked our sons, "Do you remember the dogwood tree in front of your old school?" They did not. I asked a few other people. Politicians, neighbors, and teachers at the school. Nobody had noticed this beautiful tree. So, I am glad that I noticed it on this particular day.

The dogwood is a symbol of renewal and rebirth as it is among the first trees to bloom in early spring. What will happen to this dogwood when the school closes? Will this beautiful tree remain and herald something new? Will it bring the healing that rebirth and renewal bring? Is the town open to healing? Or will this tree drift into the fog of time? My personal hope is that it remembered in some way.

Glowing After Rain

Glowing After RainAfter an April rain leaves its drops on a blooming Dogwood in front of a local school

Glowing Dogwood

Glowing DogwoodAfter an April rain leaves its drops on a blooming Dogwood in front of a local school

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