Growing tall on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake in Austin, is a tree like so many others, except for the fact that hanging from its limbs are paper swans with a name on each and every one, and a memorial plaque at its base. It is, the “Tree of Remembrance.”
And while the tree, planted in 1993 by House The Homeless, Inc., in remembrance of the homeless who have died on the streets of Austin continues to grow, unfortunately, so do the numbers of homeless deaths in the city since that time. Every November at the site of the tree, a memorial service is held. And while much has changed in the world since 1993, the homeless are still dying on the streets of Austin. So far this year, there have been over 150 homeless persons who never made it off the streets. While Austin is certainly not alone with this issue, it is a tragedy wherever it occurs in this world of ours.
Austin, Texas, along with the neighboring hill country, is blessed with great scenery, important history, wonderful food, outstanding music, exciting events, and interesting people. There are, therefore, a lot of things people living in or travelling through the region can see, but the Tree of Remembrance, is not only something which can be seen, it must be seen.
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