The idea of this story came to me years ago when I was driving my young son home from kindergarten. I thought it was just another ordinary autumn day but something unexpected and extraordinary happened. Time stood still. I slowed my driving and pulled to the side of the street to stop and watch what caught my attention in that moment. Millions of leaves were blowing, hopping, bouncing, dancing, swirling like whirling dervishes in an orchestrated dance across the road in front of me. The vivid vision of that magical moment has lingered in my thoughts for all these years.
I wanted to share the messages I received from that encounter long ago. My sister’s untimely death at that time caused me to question everything about life, death, and everything in between. I wanted to know what may lie ahead for all of us. I carried my incessant need to understand these mysteries to an ancient tree that lived at the edge of a park in my neighborhood. That’s when I learned to listen deeply. Grandmother Tree taught me many lessons about acceptance and resiliency. She helped me understand that no matter what, “this too shall pass”, as everything eventually does. The dancing leaves in the road showed me how connected everything is and that we are all interrelated.
This short story was written for young children, their parents, and other loving guardians. May it help families find ways to be open to gentle conversations about the natural cycles of life and death so that we can balance our fears of the unknown with understanding, love, and a little bit of magical imagination.
I love you forever.
“Dr. Aunt Linda” (and Grandmother Tree within) 

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Good of the Whole is a resource hub creating greater coherence for the conscious transition toward whole-systems health and a whole worldview. We mentor, train, support and uplift individuals, groups, organizations, and initiatives that live for the good of the whole. 
Our Vision is a world where every individual feels valued, connected, and whole.
Our Mission is to cultivate an ethos of wholeness and nurture our innate capacity to live for the good of the whole.
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