My What's Your Tree journey to find my purpose began on December 30, 2005, while reading a newspaper in the Gypsy 360 Cafe in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico. My horoscope for that day read "Keep your eyes open, your mind clear, and your heart happy." As I decided that would be my new mantra for 2006, a deep inner voice told me that to accomplish those three things, I needed to take better care of my body. At that moment, I made a New Year's resolution to become a Vegetarian.

Back in Denton and a few months later, while maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle, I noticed I felt better and that my body felt cleaner. With a natural desire to take it to the next level, I began researching Veganism. The word "vegan" led me to an article written by Julia Butterfly Hill about being a "joyous vegan." In the article she wrote that "being vegan is not about giving up anything. It is about giving back, to animals and to the Earth, to our air, water, and energy supply; to future generations and to myself. Being vegan means recognizing that what we put on the end of our forks is one of the most revolutionary acts we can take today."

Reading that passage made me realize that not only was I taking better care of myself with my food choices, but that I was also taking better care of our planet and all things living! Curious to know more about Julia and her story, I read the Legacy of Luna and began checking the Circle of Life website from time to time. At one point I noticed on her calendar that she was going to be in Denton, TX to speak at the Earth Day celebration in April 2007.

It was at the Earth Day celebration that Julia announced that she would be launching her new program in Denton called What's Your Tree? I signed up for the program and participated in the Spring session. During the 7 week program, I saw my life with more clarity which helped me to distill my purpose as simply "to be a messenger for Peace, Love, Harmony, and Respect for all things living."

I continued to be active in the program which grew and flourished. I led a group in the Fall of 2007 and helped to organize other groups in the Spring of 2008. The whole journey has led me to find my own "tree" to climb which is a new non-profit project called the Peace Kitchen.