Tu B'Shvat & William Wilberforce

Say the name of this Jewish holiday out loud & someone may think you have sneezed. God bless you! Though it is little know, it is one of my favorite holidays & would be particularly attractive to all of you eco-friendly folk. Tu B'Shvat is the "Birthday of the Trees" or the celebration of God's incredible creation. I like this day, especially right now, because it is forward thinking. Hopeful. Life-giving. It is a day for eating as many fruits as you can(at least 15! good for detoxing your system. LOL). It is a day for planting trees in honor of your children (cedar for boys & cypress for gils) and the ones who are no longer here with us(or starting seeds in pots if you live in colder climes as we do). Later the branches of your kids' trees may be used to make their wedding canopy (chuppah).

When Jews returned to Israel over 100 years ago, the land was pretty much a swamp. Then people from all over the world began to plant trees in the land via the Jewish National Fund & now there are over 165 million trees in Israel. In just 100 years. You can still plant a tree Eretz Y'srael thru this fund if you like.) This is big change that took time but has very far-reaching long-term effects.

As did the life of William Wilberforce. Yeserday was Martin Luther Kind Day so I watched a movie about a white Englishman from the late 1700s. (Amazing Grace). Why?! The work of Wilberforce & former slave Olaunah Equiano, whose autobiography sold over 50,000 copies, made change that was far-reaching & long term & like the growth of a tree, took MANY years & great perseverance to achieve: Wilberforce, almost singlehandedly, because of his deep & vibrant Christian faith, drove the movement to end all slavery in his day & age. 2007 was the 200th year anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Great Britain. It took many years through incredible obstacles but he & his supporters persisted. One man. One passion. Fueled by the breath of God. Changed the world forever.

And according to the movie, "Amazing Grace" which I highly recommend (pretty kid-friendly too), Wilberforce liked to leave his mansion & sit outside under a tree to talk to (as well as listen to) God. It's where he received much of his inspiration & rehearsed the speeches he would give before the movers & shakers of his day.

FYI: the song "Amazing Grace" is the most well-known song in the world & was written by John Newton, a slave-ship operator for 20 years, who had an encounter with God that changed his life & his politics. "Amazing Grace" was an attempt to express his sorrow & repentance of supporting the slavery of other humans beings. Newton was an inspiration & mentor for William Wilberforce.

Which brings me back to trees. A little story. An old man is planting a tree when a young boy comes along: The boy says, Why waste your time planting a tree? You won't ever get to eat it's fruit. It takes too long to grow. Plant something else like a tomato or flower that you can enjoy this year. The older man said: Well, that is a nice idea & that would be a blessing to us. But I'm planting this tree for my children & my grandchildren & my great grandchildren & all those who will come by this way in the future. I'm not thinking of myself; I'm thinking of them.

Am I thinking of those who will come after me? What kind of "seeds" am I planting? What long term effects will those seeds have? Will my legacy bring good fruit? Shade? Rest? Inspiration? Or will it wither & be gone when my season is over? I think of my husband Bobby who has left many good seeds & much good fruit behind him. A legacy of laughter, creativity, music & deep love.

Some thoughts as the sun rises here in the Northeast USA. Shalom.

Check out the work of the National Underground Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH, Invisible Children, IRIS Ministries in Israel & Mozambique.

Go set someone free & then plant a tree in their honor!