On April 25, Cathy and I, along with our daughter-in-law Lynda, attended our Darien Arbor Day Celebration at Ridgewood Park. As I noted in my last Mayor’s Message, besides being asked to speak regarding the origins of Arbor Day, we witnessed the dedication of a beautiful tree planted in honor of our late son Jon. While we experienced several very emotional moments during the program, our hearts were touched by the fact that this beautiful tree would always be known as Jon’s tree, and in the future, as it grows and matures, people will view it, look down at the plaque at its base, and know that there was a young man named Jon Aaron Marchese, who was so loved that a tree was planted to remind us all of how he gave love and was loved by so many.
One of the additional beauties of the day was the response of the children to our Arbor Day Program; the children present from each of our local schools gathered in the lawn surrounding the newly planted trees, and listened attentively to each of the speakers, including yours truly. As Neil Postman states, “Children are the living message we send to a world we will not see,” and the message these children carried forth, was the importance of trees as a part of our eco-system. On Arbor Day we are not only planting trees, but also planting seeds of the learning regarding the need to take care of Mother Nature’s gifts to all of us.
Finally. I was moved personally, by the actions of several children; knowing that my son had died, who took time to come up to me and asked me if they could give me a hug, or if they could have a picture taken with me. Several of them told me that when they visited Ridgewood Park in the future, they would visit Jon’s tree and tell him “hello.” I was deeply moved by their actions, especially that a of one young student who came up to me, asked if he could give me a hug and then looked at me and told me that he was sorry that we had lost our son. His action brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of the beauty that exists in the innocence of children. This little boy did not really know me, but felt the need to express a bit of human kindness. As Fyodor Dostoevsky reminds us, “The soul is healed by being with children,” and the kindness expressed by this child touched my heart and definitely healed my soul.