Why Aspen?

1 Aspen tree roots are not terribly deep and yet they are one of the most sturdy and durable trees in the world because their roots link laterally to the tree next to them...so in community they are very strong. When you see Aspen trees planted in yards you'll see them in clusters of three in order to provide strength for each other. My belief is that much of the pain that people bring into my office with is the pain of disconnection from God, from themselves, and from others. Most of the healing process is geared toward reconnecting those lost relationships and understanding what caused the disconnect to begin with.

2 The Aspen is also called the "Quaking Aspen" because it's leaves have this beautiful figure 8 motion in the wind giving them a shimmering appearance. The specifics of how God designed the leaf's twig cause the leaf to rotate in the wind in order to maximize the CO2 intake...in other word's God's design is perfectly suited to get the tree what it needs...just like the way we are designed to be connected to Him, to us and to others! :)

3 Fun fact: The largest single organism in the world is a stand of Aspen trees is in Utah named "Pando" (Latin for "I spread"). These Aspens grow by sending out "runners" that a new tree grows from. The root system of Pando is thought to be 80,000 years old making it the oldest living organism as well. Pando takes up 43 hectares of space.