Planting A Tree In Ireland

 

A few days ago this ad popped up on my Facebook page. I don't know how they determine what ads I *need* to see, but I wasn't unhappy about seeing this one. I had already had a tree planted in Ireland to celebrate someone in my family, though I'm not certain it was through Irish Central.

More than thirty years ago I was a regular subscriber to Ireland of the Welcomes magazine. It arrived in my mailbox six times a year and as soon as it did, I read each issue entirely - including the ads - which is how I learned I could have a tree planted in Ireland. 

It was a few months before my brother Ron's 50th birthday. I had been trying to think of something significant I could give him. How neat would it be to have a tree planted in Ireland in celebration of his 50th? Maybe he would even take a trip to Ireland and find his tree. I sent my check, they sent my certificate. I put it in a safe place until his birthday.

Time passed. A week or so before his birthday I went to get his certificate and couldn't find it! It wasn't where I though I remembered putting it. I hunted everywhere but could not find it. So I wrote in his birthday card explaining that I had had a tree planted in Ireland in his name and was sure I would find the certificate which I would give him when I did. 

Five years later we moved. I thought it might show up in the sorting, discarding, packing then. It didn't. Thirteen years after that, we moved again - really sorting, discarding, selling, downsizing. "Wouldn't it be funny if that cerificate turned up now after all these years"?, I thought. It didn't. It has become something of a family joke.

I thought about contacting Irish Heritage Tree to see if their records went back thirty+ years and, if so, could I get a replacement certificate? But that's probably a long shot.

Ron isn't on the internet, so he doesn't see my blog posts. Maybe I'll print this one and mail it to him. "See dear brother, this is what your 50th Birthday Certificate would have looked like."