This fall my husband took a solo trip, as he does when he needs time and space to process things, during the hardest year of his life. He'd always wanted to see the Oklahoma City bombing site, so he stopped--and had a healing and transformative experience as a result. He was grieved by the suffering and heartened by the dedication of the public servants who worked around the clock to solve the case and bring justice to the families of those killed. He left with renewed energy to remain in public service just a little longer, understanding that the punishments brought on by the public he serves do not take away from what he gives every single day. Every gorey photo he sees, every family he sits with as they grieve, every call he gets in the middle of the night to come and make sure right is done by victims and survivors of violence and injustice--it matters.

So yesterday we decided to order a seedling lovingly propogated from the Survivor Tree, an American Elm that somehow withstood the blast and continued to grow. We'll plant it in the middle of our back yard, where we've recently lost three good trees and will probably lose one more soon. While it grows the prairie we are planting will build and nourish the soil around it to care for it as it becomes tall and broad. The tree will become an elder and give shade and comfort to us and whoever lives here next.