Vital Connections

In the last chapter of Io...and the Road Home I relate how my brother

Mike had taken a sprig from my father's fig tree to see whether he could root it in his own yard. His decision was full of emotion and fond memories of delicious figs and our father's ceaseless devotion to his New York bred fig trees.

The act also carried a deeper and unspoken significance.

Papa's fig tree was created by the Creator to produce fruit and our family were direct beneficiaries. All fruit-yielding trees carry seed in themselves and they reproduce after their own kind. Simply stated: apple trees produce apples, orange trees yield oranges and so forth.

The fig in the photo is proof of my brother's success in regenerating papa's fig tree. In a wonderful collaboration, man and branch prevailed to produce fruit and preserve a vital generational linkage. Father to son and a mature tree to its much smaller offspring now living miles away. Each reproducing after their own kind and fruit for others to share and enjoy.

Let us remember our fruit-bearing mandate and keep our vital family connections vital!

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