shell tree: by Andrea McKeen

I'm completely in love with the story behind this photograph that Andrea McKeen sent over.

She says:

This is a tree, on a vast, beautiful beach on Cape Cod, adorned with painted seashell ornaments. My husband and I came upon it one afternoon and realized that each shell had words of thanks and gratitude written on them. "You are the best dad" "I love you Charlie" "We are thankful for this time together". Some of the words were faded and several shells were bleached to white by the sun. Others were fresh and bright with painted on color and clearly written words. All suggesting the passage of time but the willingness of all these people to stop at different points in their lives to contemplate and appreciate the abundance in their lives. Fills my heart every time I see this picture and remember that day :)

I'm really fascinated by the idea of rituals, especially ones that focus on appreciation/gratitude, so the idea of this shell tree and a family using it as a way to celebrate the love in their lives really touches my heart.

*Big thanks to Andrea for sharing it with us!*