I recently shared a story about a special tree gift I received as a young boy. This three foot Magnolia instilled in me a deep connection to my Aunt and Uncle who gave me the tree as a birthday gift. As I cared for the sapling, my love of nature grew right along with the tree. This tree and I grew up together! At the time, I don’t think any of us realized just how meaningful and important the tree gift would be, not only to me, but to the world. The little magnolia ultimately became the inspiration for the e-card that plants a tree. I wanted to give others the opportunity to plant a tree in honor of someone or to celebrate a special event. I invite you to visit my website to take a mini-tour of the tree planting operations and learn more about the incredible work being done to replant the Magdalena Watershed area of El Salvador. Each tree is planted by hand. Community members and families work side by side to grow and care for seedlings, clear the land, and ultimately plant thousands of trees (over 50,000 so far) each year to protect and sustain the earth for future generations. The climate in El Salvador is perfect for growing trees and within a year, the trees begin to grow at a fast rate. Looking back it all makes perfect sense to me that this is a key part of the work I do. The connection is perfectly clear. It brings me an incredible sense of joy to share my love of trees with the world. I wonder what actions you and I are taking today to inspire a child? What lasting influence are we having that we really don’t recognize right now? They say that there is no more important work than that which inspires a child. You don’t have to be a parent or a teacher to inspire a child…remember, it was my Aunt and Uncle who brought that little Magnolia into my life. We just never know what will occur as a result of reaching out to a child to encourage them to find and live their true nature. Go ahead, plant a seed of hope today. The results could be tree-mendous!