Pine Tree in Pleasant Woods

Oren Marley was named after his great uncle (a wonderful man who died before I was born) and Bob Marley (for his principles on peace and love). Still, I was reminded of the actual meanings of these choices when I recently revisited the bible according to moms-to-be...a baby naming book. (Betcha thought I was gonna say What to Expect When You're Expecting. Personally, I think that book should've been made into a horror flick instead of a Ro-Co. There's nothing. funny. about it.) Oren is Hebrew (and no, we're not Jewish) meaning Pine Tree. I find it interesting that, having heard this name my whole life, I never knew the meaning until I was prego with my boy. Coincidentally, I do have a love affair with pine trees.

When I was a young teen, I would take daily hikes through the woods on our family farm in Alabama. Armed with a Kodak 110 camera and my dog Gus, I would roam the pine tree grove that my Uncle Jerry had planted as part of a USDA land conservation project. The pine tree served many purposes. During my walk, I would find turpentine oozing from the bark and wipe it on my socks to thwart red bugs. They provided shade from the hot sun and wind to cut through the stifling Southern heat. They made many a pretty picture and served as a home to the most amazing creatures I have ever seen. Some hikes uncovered arrowheads from the days Indians called this little slice of heaven home, long before my family settled to work the land. I could even drink from her pristine natural springs without fear of contamination. There, I witnessed some of natures most amazing occurrences. The remarkable ingenuity of a beaver dam. A camouflaged lizard going unnoticed right beside me until it snatched a dragonfly out of mid-air with its long tongue. Snakes that swim. And King, the snake who could lay across that old clay dirt road and you couldn't tell where his head began and his tail ended. Huge Grey Squirrels that look like gargoyles posing on fence posts. And a Red Tail Hawk that swooped down and flew off with a rattlesnake writhing in its talons. I often wondered who won that epic battle. Even though it was one of the most difficult and awkward stages of my life, I found solace in nature. Some of my best childhood memories come from those pleasant woods.

Which leads me to Marley. Although Oren's middle name is an ode to the great Bob Marley and Robert's Jamaican roots, I find it fitting and lovely that Marley means pleasant wood. I hope that my baby heeds his name and grows strong and constant and others look to him as a beacon of peace. I know that's a big responsibility for a little baby, but we don't dream small around here.