Thank you Trees

This year has been harsh. 2020 will go down and one of the craziest and worst years to date. But regardless of what has happened this year, there are still things I’m thankful for.

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I sit and think of everything that I still have that keeps me in check, and my happiness alive.

I have a big family and we all get into each other’s faces and business all the time. But that’s what family is for, right?

I’m half Mexican and half white so the world I live in is full of different cultural superstitions and overprotective parents from both sides. This year, I’m thankful for both of those.

I’m thankful for the belief of prioritizing family over everything, I’m thankful for the job opening I slipped into with the help of my dad, I’m thankful for my daughter being healthy and happy despite being stuck at home and the constant nagging I have to do to get her to attend her zoom classes, I’m thankful my family loves me with all my flaws and quirks, and I’m thankful for trees.

Why am I thankful for trees? Well, that started on August 19, 2019 when I received a panicked phone call to go and retrieve my baby cousin because my sister had been in a deadly car accident. I didn’t know all the details, and there was so much panic swirling around us that it was difficult to keep everything in order. All I knew for sure was that my baby sister was desperately fighting for her life at only 15.

It took me two full days before I could take my chance to stand at her bedside. Her body was broken and she was so sedated that she could barely see me or acknowledge me. When she finally could, I could barely contain my excitement for the fact that she was still alive. The moment she cursed at her nurses for touching her, I knew she’d be alright.

Fast forward to today, she’s walking again, she’s driving, and she’s getting ready to graduate high school early. While her nerves are still damaged and her emotional state has taken a beating, but slowly getting better, she’s alive and well thanks to a tree.

If not for that tree that broke her fall after her ejection from the vehicle, I and my family would have buried a treasured member of our family. So this year, I’m thankful for trees.

I’m thankful for paramedics, firemen, police officers, doctors, and nurses. I’m thankful for those that had the patience and skill to keep her alive and bring her back to health. I’m thankful for the tree that broke both her body and her fall.

I’m thankful that a tree gave me another chance with my baby sister. I will treasure that chance for the rest of my life. I will treasure trees forever for the life they gave back to me.

Thank you trees.