After last month’s devastating wildfires in Maui, Lahaina’s giant banyan tree — a long-standing local landmark — is showing its first signs of regrowth and providing hope for the town’s future and recovery. When we work together, things can get better. We can heal — even in the face of tragedy  — and that’s what renewing the American spirit is all about.

“Maui’s Department of Land and Natural Resources announced good news. It shared a video showing a collection of fresh green leaves on the banyan, calling them ‘positive signs of long-term recovery’ and acknowledging the work of arborists who had been volunteering to save the tree.

Volunteers have been working toward the banyan’s recovery for weeks, carefully tending to its soil, monitoring it for signs of growth, and even providing it with what they call ‘tree-loving soup,’ Hawaii Magazine reported earlier this month…

Local media described the leaves as ‘rising from the ashes’ and a ‘sign of hope,’ adding that ‘the ultimate survival of the tree has become symbolic of what many hope for the fire-ravaged town.’”

Read the whole story at the Washington Post.