“Arbor Day is unlike other holidays. Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day proposes for the future.” - Julius Sterling Morton
“Poems are written by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.”
- Joyce Kilmer – “Trees”
On Friday, April 25, we will be celebrating our 26th Arbor Day here in the City of Darien. Darien’s Arbor Day Celebration came into being with the work and effort of several individuals, such as Kathy Minardi and Rob and Char Vuillaume. In Darien, we hold Arbor Day Celebrations to not only speak to the beauty and majesty of trees, we plant trees on Arbor Day that are dedicated to the memory of individuals we have lost over the last 26 years. This year is special for Cathy and I along with members of our family as we will plant a tree in remembrance of our son, Jon who we lost to cancer this past October. Over the years, as we have attended Arbor Day Celebrations, we have seen trees planted in memory of individuals who have touched our lives, and what greater remembrance can we have than to remember Jon every time we visit this tree and watch it grow and mature.
Arbor Day also acts as a reminder that the beautiful trees we admire today were planted by those who came before us, and will be admired by others who come after us. Lucy Larcom states, “he who plants a tree, plants a hope;” a hope for a better future and a better world. It is my hope that others will come and visit Jon’s tree, admire it for its beauty, and for the young man whose memory we will always carry in our hearts.