Here is an update on my living tree installation in Ocracoke.

Until July 5, the “Living tree art” with messages about Faith, Hope, Love and Peace can be seen at the Magic Bean Coffee Bazaar on Elementary School Road.

I try to raise awareness about the rising toll that drug addiction, cancer and mental illness takes all over our country. My three children died in the last 5 years; they were afflicted with cancer, one had an addiction problem, and one suffered from a mental health problem.

Over 2,000 pieces of fabric with writings including poetry, prayers, love songs, drawings, names of loved ones, wishes for recovery and some about a wedding on Ocracoke can be read.

Children from the local school added their pieces to the lower branches. Messages came from tourists, volunteers, locals, inmates from Hyde County, Tyrrell County and Dare County prisons, clients from New Horizon in Nags Head, the OBX Women’s Club, the Source Church in Manteo, the Police Department, the Health Department, Social Services in Manteo and many more.

It is heartwarming to see how many people shared their feelings of pain and joy! To walk around is like one is surrounded by a dimensional book. A friend of mine called it “The forest of hope.”

Many volunteers helped to wrap the trees and branches, hung strings from the trees, climbed ladders and attached hundreds of fabric strips. Thank you so much, it was fun!

Celia Hook from Columbia donated hundreds of beautiful fabric pieces, all cut to perfection! Mine were cut by hand but with an electric cutter to handle large numbers of strips.

Thank you, Katy Mitchell, owner of the Magic Bean Coffee Bazaar, for allowing me to have the installation on your lovely front yard! And thank you for the smoothie you gave me, it pepped me right up.

It would be great if more people would take a trip to this truly magical place in Ocracoke and write their own messages. Plenty of space is still left on the trees.

Faith, Hope, Love and Peace to you,

Edith Deltgen