Forest Tribute

Inspiration ⁄ Search: country

Cheers

September 19, 2020

Beautiful...

September 19, 2020

Forest Tribute

I've been making cards for just shy of 2 years, and I don't know if I can explain this card. It isn't what I started out to create, but my hands took me there, and I knew what it was meant to be.

I started with a slimline base, and a stamp set by SU! called "Campology." This set of trees is the most realistic of a true forest I've seen so far. Not all trees are full, not all trees are tall or the same height. I wanted to use this set and try my hand at the illusion of Northern Lights. As one can see, it is not where it ended up.

I kept working at the "northern lights," using different colors of green. Then I decided I'd dulled them too much, and added some yellows. Still not right. Then, for whatever reason my mind decided, I added some orange. And, then, I knew.

My dad is a retired smokejumper. He worked for the Forest Service in Montana. He jumped on a lot of fires (more than 200 before his govt forced grounding - smokejumpers were only allowed to jump until a certain age). He was my hero, saving our forests and National Parks from fire. When he jumped, he would be out for 2 weeks at a time, before hiking out. I always knew when he was home again, because I'd walk in the door and smell "camp fire."

The year he transitioned to fire dispatch was very, very hard for him. That year was a bad fire year, and it was a bad year for loss of the fire fighters and pilots, too. He blamed himself because he had dispatched the crews that never came home.

Years later, came 9/11/2001. No one will ever forget. We lost so many innocent lives and so many first responders, and in particular - fire fighters. Those fire fighters were fighting in forests of concrete and steel, but they had the same mission to protect and fight for the innocent and protect our natural resources - our very lives.

Last week, we remembered 9/11. This week we lost another Forest Service fire fighter to the wildfires in the west. We've lost more innocent lives in a battle of national importance. And, we're still losing the lives of first responders from that fateful day in 2001.

Our fire fighters are my heroes. First responders of all walks of life are my heroes. A fire fighter friend in Georgia is my hero. A retired homicide detective in Las Vegas is my hero. A nurse who cared for me after major surgery during the outbreak of the virus this year is my hero. Military service men and women are my heroes. A friend who is a nurse in an NICU is my hero. My wonderful, supportive friends around the country are my heroes. My dad is my hero.

I've no sentiments on this card. I don't have any hero sentiments in my collection, yet. I don't know who to give it to, or even if it should be given. I just don't know.

Love you all, you are my heroes.