Matriarch Monday {JULIA BUTTERFLY HILL}

Welcome to the first installment of Matriarch Monday here at the Citizen Cathy blog. It was a toss up on who to begin with but after talks with my husband it was clear that it should be Julia Butterfly Hill.JULIA BUTTERFLY HILL

photo credit WPI

Back in the late 1990's I had a passionate involvement to save Old Growth Trees. I knew I liked trees but after reading a book, a work of fiction, called The Tree People by Noami Stokes it was made apparent to me that there are giant trees out there called Redwoods. I was in love. Not long after it hit the news that a girl was to climb a tree in effort to save it against a lumber company readying to cut it down. Julia Hill had created a storm around her attracting hollywood and every media outlet there was for 738 days. She quickly became an idol to me and still is to this day. Her strength and will to survive no matter the odds, threats or outcome was a defining moment in my life. When all this was occurring I was only 19 years old. I am very thankful something like this happened at such an early age because I feel that it set the stage for who I am, what to fight for and how to live with love in my heart.

If you have the time or will to read these two books, please do, they are good reads. One is a work of fiction with mystical underlinings the other is written by Julia Hill herself and is a great tale of exactly what happened before and during those 2 years she sat in a tree.


This is Julia and me at her book signing in Boston, Ma. 2000

So you know: I'll leave you with two small facts about me and this post. May.tree.ark really has nothing to do with matriarch. I guess in the end it does when it's all said and done. The name came about by me sitting there with a pen and paper writing down all the things that meant something to me. Mostly my grandmother, May, trees and elephants (long story). The name was going to be maytree. Then it hit me. may.tree.ark.

I have a tattoo on my back of the redwood tree she saved (Luna) and the full moon she was named after. Thank you for reading. Be well and enjoy your wonderful week.

Comments

  1. Anonymous3/21/2011

    wow, what an amazing woman she is! thanks for sharing this, it's great to read about people that do these amazing things

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