Embassy of Peace Pe-Wee-Con Story

The Story of Pe-Wee-Can ... A Real Life Adventure
By Joseph McAleer

This is a true-life story, dictated by a pecan tree through a channel who can write. He is not sure that this is possible so he will try to fill in some space with his own thoughts and feelings. I will try to keep his ideas and fantasies to a minimum. So here we go, the world of Pe-Wee-Can as recorded through his scribe.

How did I ever get that name Pe-Wee-Can? Well my first recollection of this life was as a little bitty baby tree. I didn't even know I was a tree because all I could see was more of me all around where I stood.

As I started to grow and learn the language I was told I was a tree in the middle of a pecan grove of trees. Yes, I was a pecan tree just like all the other pecan trees. I was not sure what that meant but again I was assured by my newfound family of pecan trees, that I would learn much as I grew tall. Well all of my brothers and sister trees started growing very fast, but woe is me I just did not seem to know how to do growing. Soon it seemed as if everyone was looking down on Pee-Wee-me. Now you know where the name came from and this was about 150 years ago in a spot that would later be known as Atlanta, Georgia.

There are a couple of other things I would like to share with you about those early years. I felt angry and frustrated about my small stature and with all my resolve told myself that what ever it took I was going to grow into one of the tallest strongest pecan trees in our grove. Surprisingly enough, shortly after that realization the men, who from time to time work in our grove, started paying more attention to pee-wee. I got more water and fertilizer, special trimming and what felt like more love then my brothers and sisters. What ever it was I received, it worked. I grew like a weed and within a couple of years I was just as tall and strong as they were. But it never stopped, up and up I went until I could easily see our large grove of trees and I was right there with the tallest of the tall.

Well this had lots of advantages and some disadvantages. For one thing I attracted more birds to my branches and I caught the early morning sun before the other trees. I could also ride the wind better with my super branches acting like a big sail. On the down side, my fruit was more difficult to pick so the workers had to shake the dickens out of me to get my nuts to fall to the ground. I liked who I was and never complained because my dream of being tall and strong had been answered.

Now to get on with my story because about twenty years had past and all of a sudden all hell broke loose everywhere. Nothing could have prepared me for all the noise of cannons and musket fire that went on for what sounded like an eternity. The grove workers were gone and soldiers were everywhere. I guess, because of my huge size, I must have given the best shade. I could feel the warm blood of the wounded soaking into my roots. It was a nightmare and I hated being a part of what was going on. Just as quickly as it started it stopped. My world would never be the same. The grove workers finally started drifting back again but their songs were no longer hymns of praise, more somber, more serious. I kind of lost track of time with one year blending in with the last year. Then it happened again and who could have seen this event coming? The noise was back but this time it was coming from hammers and saws. I guess I'm about 75 years old now and I though I had seen about everything, wrong. One by one my brothers and sisters were cut down and hauled away on big wagons.

Where they once stood now there were houses with families and lots of squealing children.

Somehow I did not get knocked down but just stood there watching my whole world change. A wonderful family bought the house next to where I stood and that helped a lot with the tremendous hurt I felt loosing my family. I was so big it was difficult for the kids to climb up on my branches but they really seemed to enjoy my fruit and all that shade. Life was sure different for me. I was growing older instead of taller and stronger. In fact it appeared that life starts to reverse itself if you are lucky enough to live long enough to experience old age.

Yes I am about 150 years old now and I think I have lost some height and definitely lost some strength, but that is OK. I found something far more important, something Pe-Wee-Can could have never known. I am One with everything. No more competing with other trees for height and strength. No more fear of sorrow and pain. No more shock from inevitable change. Just an inner knowing that I am part of something so big and yet so small that it is everywhere present and it knows me and the important part I am playing in the whole life expression on planet Earth.

How do I know this is true? Let me tell you about my final chapter, unless of course it isn't. Just about 10 years ago I figures I had enough and started to die naturally. The family that had lived in the house no longer came to the house to pick up my fruit and enjoy my shade. Even the birds and squirrels did not show up as often as they once did. I started dropping limbs. The life force was slowly draining out of me. Don't you know there was still another surprise waiting for me. It is never over until it is really over. A new couple moved into the house. I say new, they were both very familiar but now they were there every day.

I must have looked awful as I continued to drop my limbs. Men climbed my trunk and trimmed off some more limbs to give me better balance. I over heard them discussing my future, cut her down or try to save what is left. I never heard the answer but I did expect to feel the sharp teeth of the saw cut into my trunk and then goodbye. That is OK with me, after all what is left after 150 years of living an exciting life like mine. The strangest thing happened, instead of the saw, I felt the warm Georgia clay building up around my trunk.

Then beautiful flowers were planted all around my feet. I was an awesome tree but my feet at ground level were always very plain at best. Now they were becoming a site for a beautiful garden. The rocks went in around the edge of the garden and as if by magic a lovely angel appeared.

Next came an arbor entrance, a special back drop fence and finally a swing. I have no idea what is coming next but I do know that every day as the sun rises I feel like I am rising with it for the first time. There is so much love flowing around me and groups of people come to ugh and ah and at our new creation. Yes I said our new creation because I now realize we would not have been inspired to go on with out each other. They need me and I need them.

I even influenced the plan of what happened but don't tell them, they would never believe it. Well maybe they would, after all I have one of them taking dictation.

So here I am sprouting new growth again. Pe-Wee-Can lives again. Or more accurately King-Can lives just one more day, each day, to share myself with this incredible world. King-Can did you get that? Who said we trees have no sense of humor. I now release my scribe to finish our work in progress. He needs a break. Thank you, thank you, thank you. What a life.

Pe-Wee-King-Can

Mom and Aunt Helen in the new garden