Among the Trees

Life is lived among the trees.

Nearly 40 years ago my father began planting cedar trees in rows on a couple acres of land in Lawrence County, Alabama. This land was were my mom’s grandparents settled years ago and much of her family has dwelt and developed their own homes within 1/2 mile of this property. In the 1980s my parents owned the old white house that belonged to my great-grandparents and it was a place we would visit on the weekends. At one point my parents considered raising their family “in the county”, but things worked out better for them to stay in the Birmingham area for  job and school opportunities. The house became too much to maintain for my parents, and was sold to my aunt who always dreamed herself of living in it with her family. 

My dad kept about 5 acres of land to the side and it became his playground for the next 20 years or so. We would still often “go the country” on the weekends and stay with my grandparents. My dad meticulously planted rows of cedar trees along the land, built a split-rail fence, cleared brush into the woods and down to the creek. It made him happy to be outdoors working with his hands. They say when I was younger, I was his little shadow, often following along behind with my own wheelbarrow. I remember in the preteen years begging to drive the tractor and help cut grass. 

My parents thought they may one day retire to this land and build a house among the trees, but God had other plans in the works for where they would settle to retire. About 10 years ago, my dad sold his remaining acres of land in Lawrence County to one of my cousins, who has since built a beautiful home for his family among these trees.

During the week of Thanksgiving, we took all the Sauter cousins “to the country” to recreate a favorite portrait that we originally took in front of the old wooden corn crib back in 2010. My mom and sister and I enjoyed walking through what use to be an open pasture and seeing the beautiful, magical meadow of full-grown cedar and oak trees that shade this land, that has been so well loved over the years. 

I absolutely adore this picture of my mother that we snapped on our recent trip! It is such a full-circle moment, and if you know my mother you know she definitely lives among the wildflowers. She has always been as strong as a weed, blowing in the direction she was needed to land to produce life and cultivate those she was tending to. She is able to bloom wherever she is planted, and I hope her and my dad are able to enjoy the fruits of their labors among the trees at Arkadelphia Acres in Cullman County in the years to come.