Looking up at Trees
I used to ride in the back of my dad's pickup truck as we drove on remote roads in the mountains, and look straight up at the sky and trees as we crawled among them. They stood over us looking down on me, like I was a baby and they were giant friendly people, like grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts, standing over my crib smiling down on me. As we drove the road, one tree would move aside for another and then another, each shuffling taking a turn to see this new baby in their woods. It was powerful and I felt like the entire Land was my friend, a roomful of friendly relatives.
The painting is by Georgia O'Keefe.