The Healing Tree

The tree that healed me

It calmed my mind and my soul

And brought happiness

This is a book that celebrates the beauty of nature, and one tree in particular. It caught the eye of one of nature’s lost children.

Motivated to get outside after COVID changed how we needed to approach our daily lives, Dave used his walks to connect with nature and do some really impactful soul-searching. Many unresolved thoughts and painful memories were uprooted in his heart during this time and by serendipitously connecting with this one tree, a healing journey was started and continues to this day.

My hope is that THE HEALING TREE will inspire you to find your own connection with the healing powers found in nature and examine the places inside yourself that might need some soothing.

Author Biography

Growing up surrounded by an aesthetic contradiction; a juxtaposition of nature and industry, Dave learned early on to seek out beauty amongst sometimes challenging views. He continues to walk with and connect to nature for healing and inspiration, and tries to walk by the Lake (Michigan) as often as possible. In his early twenties, he signed up for a social psychology class at Indiana University which sparked a fascination in him for the reasons why people become who they become. This feeling caused him to want to find out how to help people become better people. What better way to help than by becoming a teacher, and a teacher who also loves to write. Maybe, just maybe, this writing will not only help himself make better sense of this crazy world, but help others as well.Dave went to school for a very long time, and hopes to make a career out of university teaching someday. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s degree in History and Philosophy of Education, and a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Curriculum and Instruction/Early Childhood Education. He began his career teaching fifth grade at Nathan Hale Elementary School in Whiting, Indiana (his hometown), and after several different career changes in the education field (infant teacher, child care director, executive director, general manager) in Bloomington, Evansville, Indianapolis, Chicago, and now East Chicago, he has come full circle and returned to elementary education back in October of 2021. Thanks to the pandemic of 2020, he rediscovered his passion for photography and writing, and hopes to start blogging about it all very soon. Currently, he is thoroughly enjoying his first summer off in thirteen years.Dave loves being active, especially walking along Lake Michigan or biking with friends to local watering holes. He loves connecting with people, especially if it is a serendipitous encounter that leads to conversations about intuition and other spiritual ramblings. He especially loves connecting with kids, which has led to twenty-seven years of various teaching opportunities. He returned to Whiting in 2020 and feels a deep contentment that is often hard to find in life, and now feels a sense of peace in his soul. Finally!