Quote:
Originally posted by DaveCox
Hi Carman,
It could be that the symbolism of 'the greenwood tree' is a memory that was taken from Britain by emigrants. In many old English villages the centre of the village life was the 'green', a patch of open grass. Usually you would find a large tree in or near the centre of these 'greens', and this was where villagers would meet and discuss their grievances, hold 'councils' etc; and it therefore became the symbol of freedom.
I'm really, honstly, no joking, glad that you've found this picture. Finding your 'roots' was one of the things that drove you to move back east I guess and I know that it meant a lot to you.
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I love your explanation about the tree being a symbol of freedom. Freedom was the whole point for being there (WW2) hey? The photo, finding it, has a lot of different "reasons" for me ... many reasons born of an obsession that lead me to more questions ... and knowledge. Education. I simply wanted to know what happned to the beautiful faced young man, the Uncle, brother, son, etc, whose picture/face I fell in love with as a very young child somehow. Something about his face ... and probably about the deep emotions/feelings, sadness and mystery I felt in Mom and others when they talked (rarely)of Uncle Eddie. I'm sure any of you who have lost relatives to war know the moods and energies, the expressions, the weight of the unsaid things, the disbelief, the "WHY" that hangs in the air, the faraway looks in the eyes, the anger, the unsaid goodbyes, regrets, PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE for sacrifices paid.... kids are very tuned in emotionally ... it gets inside and stays I guess.
Home again ... delving for roots ... is a part of why I'm here again, a large part, but not the only one. Connecting with family again is one. Another is laying to rest old ghosts, and finding out if other old ghosts are laid to rest. I'm glad to say that on Sunday, for the first time in my life, I was able to visit a place that I couldn't handle before because of "some history"... well, the good news is is that I found out, as I stood and walkd there again, I'm free at last of some old ghosts.
There is nothing more wonderful than certain kinds freedoms ... and nothing more necessary for us human things
About my Uncle ... yes, some is about prsonal history, but because he went off to war and freedom fighting for Canada... his history belongs to him and to Canada, not just this family.
Thats the way I see things anyways ... and why I do this "caring and sharing" thing.
"Karmen"