After my friend Kirstie suddenly passed away in an accident, a bunch of loved ones rallied together to donate trees to be planted in her honor.
Friends, family members, people I’d never met, coworkers, vendors, and interns we managed all pitched in.
In the end, over 30,000 trees were donated- to be planted in the communities she got to visit in Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
When I learned that my trip to Mexico might coincide with the planting of these trees, I really hoped to see it in person. But this was no guarantee. Oaxaca finally had a good rainy season after a five year drought, and the planting window was slim.
But this moment was meant to happen.
Our @plantwpurpose team in Mexico went above and beyond to make the event a ceremony, complete with banners and they invited me to share a few words, alongside our Country Director, a farmer from a group Kirstie had met, and the gentleman who owned the hillside we were planting on.
Then they invited me to plant the first tree.
Everything seemed to swirl around that spot on the hillside where I put that sapling into the ground. The warmth of the sun. The sweeping view of the watershed. The hospitable spirit of the staff and community gathering the rest of the tree starters.
Healing is a remarkable thing. Healing is a real thing.
This is just a preview since I couldn’t leave uplifting things unshared for too long, but I’m also happy to be working with @hepburncreative on a video that captures the powerful moment. Muchisimas gracias a ellos y @cruzaangel por las fotos de este momento.
