Balboa Island ‘thankful tree’ is a place to share gratitude

Susan Seely got the idea for a “thankful tree” from a book she read about fun ways to engage the community.

“I was going through a separation and divorce and was learning to be open to and grateful for all the blessings in my life, so it was a way to multiply that understanding and put more gratitude out into the world,” the Newport Beach resident said.

It’s been four years since Seely and her now-13-year-old daughter, Clara, began their holiday tradition of hanging blank cards on a tree in the front yard of their home on Balboa Island and asking members of the public to fill in the cards with messages about what they’re thankful for. It begins at Thanksgiving with mother and daughter posting a sign inviting passersby to share their gratitude.

Clara was in charge of the project this year.

“I made a sign, put around 100 blank tags on our lemon tree and then we went out of town for a few days,” Clara said. “And when we came back, the tags were all filled in.

“I thought it was really cool to see a variety of what people are thankful for.”

Clara also provided pens for people to write with and designed a container for the pens. “I used duct tape and poked a hole in the bottom,” she said. “That way, if it rained, the water would drain out.”

Park Avenue, where Seely and Clara live, is a direct route to the Balboa Island ferry landing and is always busy with car and foot traffic, so the tree draws a lot of attention.

Seely said she is satisfied with the results and thinks of it as a fun way to stimulate thankful thoughts through interactive art.

“People get a chance to share what they’re happy about,” she said.

The cards include messages of survival, love, hope, peace and friendship. Some of the expressions of gratitude are directed to “the people who thought up this idea.”

Seely and Clara find the contributors to be as diverse as their messages. Besides their neighbors, who usually contribute, there are notes from tourists from such faraway places as Texas, Canada, Germany and Australia.

Clara remembers seeing two teenage girls writing on the tags and then taking selfies in front of the tree.