The loss of someone important becomes an imminently painful event, which causes a disintegration in the sense of intact unity, where the family needs to find its identity again and learn to live with the absence of the loved one. With this in mind, with the high number of coronavirus victims at the end of last year, Maria Izabel Collar had the idea together with the coordinator of the Pastoral do Meio Ambiente de Santa Fé, Tereza Citelli, to pay tribute to the people who died due to COVID-19 in the city.
In the form of a green memorial, they went in search of some land to create a Bosque da Saudade. After a few months, Izabel's husband passed away due to complications from the disease. “I had to work through the grieving process in a way that would help me stay on my feet, and there's nothing better than staying on my feet than planting a tree. The trees sustain each other and would carry on the name of my Fabinho and all the other more than 50 people who have died in Santa Fé. In March alone, the month he died, 18 people died,” she says.
Given this, what Izabel wanted most was to see the forest flourish. It was then that Mercedes Medeiros passed away and her family also had the same wish. They gave up an area of environmental preservation on their farm for the planting. “We haven’t planted all the seedlings yet, I think there were 20. We got a list of people who had died, but without their phone numbers. We created a group on WhatsApp and started spreading the idea. On October 12, the first ipê tree was planted. Some family members are still working through this grief to find the courage and strength to go there and plant, because it is a very emotional moment.”
She also reports that there are many testimonials from people who have already planted trees. “People feel a lot of peace, it is a very beautiful place. The trees will sustain us, they will show us that it is possible to transform, grow and support families with a small seedling and a small gesture.”
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