Diya Studio

When I was fairly young, I remember my sister Maria – http://mayazs.blogspot.com/ (Appo, a nick name we call her by even today) and me, used to go to our neighbors house to steal mulberries, because we absolutely LOVED them.

On a bike, in the afternoon, we used to head out in the burning hot sun, to steal some mulberries from the neighborhood. She used to bike and I used to be on the back seat. It was quite fun, sitting on the back seat and being taken around the block…but let me tell you one thing… to get on to that seat wasnt as easy as it sounds!! I had to run for about a min behind the bike and then jump on to it… some unfortunate times I would miss the seat, hit my bum on the ground, get up really quick and run behind the bike, so we wouldn’t get caught (Appo couldnt ride the bike with me sitting behind her from the start, the only way it worked was when I jumped on a moving bike! seriously dangerous but I would get such a kick out of it!!)

Anyway…we had to pick the mulberries slowly and softly, (an art we both had mastered, obviously!) so the people who owned the tree wouldn’t know we were stealing, because most of these people were friends of my parents. Thinking back now, I cannot understand, ‘why did we have to steal them?!’, we could have just asked them and it would have been fine…but I guess the only answer that comes to my mind was, ‘we must have done it for the thrill of it!‘. Luckily we never got caught, (as that would have really embarrassed our parents, I think!!), although we did have a few close calls with getting massive huge bruises here and there…but still our love for mulberries and the thrill attached to them, still lives today.

After years and years and lots more years, when I shifted into our new house, with a massive (more than 100 years old) Mulberry tree, I was thrilled, amazed and so happy! It’s like how when you wish or want something it comes to you in the moments when you least expect it. I always loved them, and wished we had a tree in our house, but I guess if I had had my wish then, I wouldn’t have it now. So every single day now, I make sure I sit with my mulberry tree, not only because it my wish that came true, but also because its a connection with my past that reminds me of my childhood and makes me laugh at the craziest things I have done when I was younger.I hope, pray nd wish my sisters would visit us one day and i can share an amazing Mulberry picking experience with them.

With the changing seasons, the tree changes how it looks. Big and bright in summer, letting the sunlight shine through it’s leaves gifting the red berries to it’s lovers. Shedding it’s leaves as autumn approaches, to let go and enjoys the cold wind hitting it’s branches. Becoming totally naked, in winter, absorbing all the sun it can, saving energy for the new beginning. Welcoming spring, with tiny tiny leaves, sprouting like little hands waving at the sun as they come back to life. The changing looks of our trees teaches me to never be the same ever and keep growing and moving on with every season, but remember the strong trunk stays still and steady and hence the soul inside me remains the same.

To some, this tree would just be a tree with yummy mulberries, but to me… it’s ‘Our Mulberry Tree of Blessings’. It teaches me to share my gifts with all who cross my path and how to keep growing along with keeping the child inside me alive. I love the unseen Allah, who has gifted me with this blessed tree as my teacher, my friend and my guide in the world filled with nature.

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens, author

This entry was written by Humna Mustafa, posted on 14 January 2010 at 12:29 pm, filed under Personal. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.