We’ve been going to various nature centers during this pandemic, trying to be outdoors but away from crowds. I always find something that surprises me on these walks. This time, at the Parvin State Park in Pittsgrove, NJ, it was tree roots that were reaching up to the sky. The tree had fallen over into the lake and half of its roots were yanked up into the air. It was no longer living but half of its roots still held on, deep into the earth.

It was captivating. It isn’t often that tree roots are so visible. There was a lacy quality to them. I could see how interconnected they were, supporting each other so that the tree was able to rise high into the air.

It made me think of people who have passed away, especially now when so many have died from the corona virus. They may be virtually gone but they, too, have left roots in our society. Some of those roots can still be seen, biologically visible in relatives. But it is the impact they have made through their work and interactions in society that are the hidden roots, the connections that affect all of us.

Parvin State Park has quite a history*:

https://www.stateparks.com/parvin_state_park_in_new_jersey.html

*HISTORY OF THE AREA - Parvin State Park served as home for the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 to 1941, a summer camp for the children of displaced Japanese Americans in 1943, a POW camp for German prisoners in 1944 and temporary housing for the Kalmycks who fled their homelands in Eastern Europe in 1952. From the park's early history, there are still the remains of ancient American Indian encampments, both temporary and permanent.

©2020 Ferida Wolff for SeniorWomen.com