Baha’is see the young as the most precious treasure a community can possess. In them are the promise and guarantee of the future. Yet, in order for this promise to be realised, children need to receive spiritual nourishment, such as can be found in the children’s classes happening all around the world.
The Lovely Little Tree – A New Children’s Book About the Next World
A note to readers: this interview touches on the subject of the loss of a loved one and the passing of an infant child.
Jenifer Varzaly has penned a sweet and tender-hearted book about the nature of the soul and the next world. Titled The Lovely Little Tree and softly illustrated by Samareh Azadi, this is–above all–a story about love and the enduring connection we have with one another’s souls.
Jenifer very kindly agreed to tell us about her book, what compelled her to write it, the lessons it can teach us all, and how everyone is creative.
Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m a mother of three (Eve, Asher, and Blake), a legal academic and project consultant in international commercial and corporate law.
Can you please tell us a little bit about The Lovely Little Tree?
Author Jenifer Varzaly
The Lovely Little Tree is inspired by this Baha’i quote:
“[T]here is a Garden of God. Human beings are trees growing therein. The Gardener is Our Father. When He sees a little tree in a place too small for her development, He prepares a suitable and more beautiful place, where she may grow and bear fruit. Then He transplants that little tree. The other trees marvel, saying: ‘This is a lovely little tree. For what reason does the Gardener uproot it?’ The Divine Gardener, alone, knows the reason.
You are weeping…but if you could see the beauty of the place where she is, you would no longer be sad. Your child is now free, and, like a bird, is chanting divine joyous melodies. If you could see that sacred Garden, you would not be content to remain here on earth. Yet this is where your duty now lies.”1
The story aims to provide a hopeful and love-filled perspective on our ongoing spiritual connection with the next world. In particular, it offers children a gentle and reassuring way to understand separation, change and the enduring nature of love.
What inspired you to create this book?
Our son Asher inspired us to create this book. He passed away when he was two months old, and we wanted more than anything to have something positive to share with our daughter Eve and our younger son Blake about their dear brother. We want to talk about him often, and to celebrate the fact that he continues to be a part of our family.
We wanted to share this love and ongoing connection, but we could find no other material that approached these themes from this perspective. So, with input from our whole family, we worked hard to create this book in honour of dear Asher and all the other families who have experienced something similar.
I am so very sorry to hear of your loss, Jenifer. While I knew you were the author of this book, it is deeply touching to learn how your whole family came together to create it. Who is the book’s audience?
The Lovely Little Tree is perfect for children experiencing change or separation, missing someone special, or beginning conversations about feelings and connection. It is an uplifting story that reminds us we are never truly far from those we love, and that love continues to connect us.
More broadly, it is for anyone who has lost someone or is separated from someone they love. The book has also resonated with families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth and other forms of loss. Even when I read it to my own children, I find that it helps me reflect on these spiritual concepts in a hopeful and love-filled way.
What’s something you’ve learned in the process of making this book?
The process of creating this book over the past four years has been a wonderful, yet challenging journey. It has given me a particular admiration and deep respect for all those working in the creative arts. It has also taught me how wonderful the arts can be in helping to translate spiritual ideas and quotations into something tangible and accessible, in a way that touches the heart.
What do you hope readers will take away with them?
Above all, I hope readers take away a sense of love and hope. I hope the focus is not on separation, but on the love and light of the next world, and on the idea that our relationships continue to develop and grow despite physical separation. We are always connected to those we love. Although we miss them deeply, that does not diminish the strength of our love, bonds and connections.
Another Bahá’í quotation that strongly inspired this book is:
“It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living powers. Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful. In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the power of love.”2
Asher’s life was about love in its purest form: the love of his father and me, the love of our family and friends, the care of the doctors and nurses who looked after him, and the kindness of every soul he encountered during his short time in this world. He was surrounded by love, and that is a truly beautiful thing.
What is some advice you would give to anyone pursuing Baha’i-inspired creative work?
It is an incredibly rewarding and meaningful path of service. One of the things this project taught me is that we all possess creative gifts—I certainly did not think I had any!—and that we should not be afraid to share them with the world. Creative work has the power to bring hope, beauty and encouragement at a time when many people are searching for meaning and connection.
My advice would be to find a good team of collaborators and champions within your community. There is great strength in collective effort, and many confirmations come from working together. The initial development of the book, including the professional illustration and early publication process, was made possible through the generosity of several charities, together with a midwife and a doctor from the broader community. They were moved by the message and believed in its potential to bring hope and comfort to others. This experience reminded me that the world truly needs messages of hope, love and connection.
Thank you so much, Jenifer, for taking the time to share this with us.
You can purchase The Lovely Little Tree from Amazon.
Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, pp. 216-217, recounting the words of Abdu’l-Baha [↩]
In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.
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