While in Seattle for a Transit Conference I took a break to go roller blading around the lovely Green Lake which sits in the middle of some great little  neighbourhoods. Sitting on the front seat of my car with the door open I was putting on my blades when I saw a charming little girl, about seven years old, walk by me carefully carrying a small cardboard boxtop full of colourful flower blossoms.  She was followed by her mother carrying another bigger box with even more flowers.  Curious I called out, “What beautiful flowers. What are you going to decorate?”   The woman eagerly explained that a tree had recently been cut down by the city and that she (Kim) and her daughter Emma were very upset. They had many fond memories of picnicking and playing beneath its protective shade.

Kim had the foresight to request some of the cut wood from the city so that a local artist could fashion it into a bench. It would then be placed on the site where the once towering maple tree had stood. I was amazed at their story and the evident joy Emma found in creating a floral heart on the huge four-foot stump. What a wonderful way for a mother to teach her child about the sacredness of life by honouring this tree.

Once again, I was blown away to see how something as simple as acknowledging perfect strangers had turned into a wonderful exchange and an opportunity to connect to a community in a city I barely know. When Kim asked what brought me to the lake, I mentioned that I was in Seattle because of my book and I was meeting people in the Transit Industry. I then handed a copy to Emma who started reading while Kim and I continued to chat.  I made a donation to the bench creation project. Emma laughed at one of the stories in my book and obviously was enjoying it. I gifted them the book as I love to see young kids reading. For me it was another magical moment that occurred simply by using The Art of Acknowledgement.