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A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home
Winner of the 2025 Colorado Authors League Book Award for Memoir
5 STARS from K.C. Finn for Readers "A Tree with My Name on Finding a Way Home is a quiet triumph of a memoir, filled with wisdom, courage, and the kind of honesty that lights the path forward. I would recommend it to memoir fans everywhere."
"A riveting and intimate tale of a woman's journey in search of a home, in her body, in her spirit and in the land. I couldn't put it down..." Tsultrim Allione, Author, Wisdom Journey into the Mandala of the Sacred Feminine
As the 20th century careened towards the finish line, author Victress Hitchcock moved with her husband from their familiar urban world to a 160-acre historic ranch in a remote valley of the Colorado Rockies. Within months, their lives unraveled, and out of the wreckage a path emerged to a radically new way to be in the world. Guided by a rich concoction of Buddhist insight and horse sense, the unlikely support of a meditation group in a nearby Federal prison, and the friendship of a woman born on the ranch in the 1930’s, Victress began a journey that shattered old defenses and loosened the grip of the lifelong fears that bound her.
A Tree With My Name On Finding a Way Home is not a handbook on healing trauma. It is a living, breathing, messy story of one woman trying her hardest to free her wounded heart and uncover her true self.
It is a story, filled with joy and sorrow, unexpected wisdom, and humor that will resonate with anyone who has reached that moment in their lives when they are ready to tear off the bandage, and take a deep look at the old wounds, assumptions and fears that have held them hostage for too long.
“A beautiful poem of a memoir about what it means to be an American woman, an engaged Buddhist, and a fully alive, open-hearted human being.” Brad Wetzler, Author, Into the Soul of the World, My Journey to Healing
5 STARS from K.C. Finn for Readers "A Tree with My Name on Finding a Way Home is a quiet triumph of a memoir, filled with wisdom, courage, and the kind of honesty that lights the path forward. I would recommend it to memoir fans everywhere."
"A riveting and intimate tale of a woman's journey in search of a home, in her body, in her spirit and in the land. I couldn't put it down..." Tsultrim Allione, Author, Wisdom Journey into the Mandala of the Sacred Feminine
As the 20th century careened towards the finish line, author Victress Hitchcock moved with her husband from their familiar urban world to a 160-acre historic ranch in a remote valley of the Colorado Rockies. Within months, their lives unraveled, and out of the wreckage a path emerged to a radically new way to be in the world. Guided by a rich concoction of Buddhist insight and horse sense, the unlikely support of a meditation group in a nearby Federal prison, and the friendship of a woman born on the ranch in the 1930’s, Victress began a journey that shattered old defenses and loosened the grip of the lifelong fears that bound her.
A Tree With My Name On Finding a Way Home is not a handbook on healing trauma. It is a living, breathing, messy story of one woman trying her hardest to free her wounded heart and uncover her true self.
It is a story, filled with joy and sorrow, unexpected wisdom, and humor that will resonate with anyone who has reached that moment in their lives when they are ready to tear off the bandage, and take a deep look at the old wounds, assumptions and fears that have held them hostage for too long.
“A beautiful poem of a memoir about what it means to be an American woman, an engaged Buddhist, and a fully alive, open-hearted human being.” Brad Wetzler, Author, Into the Soul of the World, My Journey to Healing
380 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2024
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 7, 2025
Life has a funny way of having things happen. Say, for example, you act by instinct and sign up for a college course then, later on, what you learned in that course is put to use when you need to have those skills handy. Then you move somewhere that has a tree with your initials on it! That’s what happened to Victress Hitchcock. In her book, “A Tree with My Name on It: Finding a Way Home,” she shares a very interesting chapter of her life. She took a course on horse riding but didn’t own a horse. Or a ranch.
Who knew that when Hitchcock took that course something bigger was calling her? She felt that she and her husband needed a change to save their marriage. She fell in love with a ranch where they ended up living. Then she got her first horse with that ranch. Then she found that tree. It appears fate is at play for her here. Was this a sign she was going to be happy living on this ranch? And that her marriage would be saved? This was her hope, something she clung to, so she embraced this big change in her life and gave it her best shot.
At the front of her mind was her attempt to fix things with her marriage. She writes about seeing a couple of “red flags” before the two of them married and not really doing much about them. She felt that switching to ranch life in their empty-nester years might help, along with trying to be more patient with her husband. Before the move, they had tried marriage counseling, and it didn’t do the trick.
One of the things she did was continue her quest to make this new setting her home and to feel more a part of it. She explored on her horse, met the neighbors, and talked with people who wanted conversation everywhere she went. In doing so, she felt a sense of belonging. Ranch life was very different compared to the city life she knew before, as well as more expensive. But she discovered that it was a nice change for her.
It was also something different for her in another way, as she shares on page 99:
I didn’t grow up with the idea of neighbors dropping by for a visit or coming if we needed help. We never stayed in one place long enough when I was a child. It felt good to get to know our neighbors, to feel a sense of belonging in this wild, barely inhabited place.
Another thing that helped Hitchcock feel more at home in her new location was her connection with a woman who once lived in the very same house she now inhabited. They strike up a friendship and send each other emails; the new friend shares her memories and the author shares her observations as the times and seasons changed. I loved reading both stories! They are so enchanting and captivating. I am glad the author included these passages in the book. But I also saw how this connection brought more peace and joy to her heart. It helped her to be more present in her new space and appreciate it even more through the cherished memories it created for another person.
I enjoyed reading the funny stories she shared, either from her own life or from her time living at the ranch. And sharing her experiences teaching incarcerated people how to meditate and about Buddhism was really fascinating. I liked how she shared when something one of them said resonated with her and even helped her to work out things she was going through. As she wrote about her husband wanting to sell the ranch while she wanted to stay there, I kept hoping that she would stand up for what she wanted and fight him for it.
“A Tree with My Name on It” is a heartwarming, endearing memoir that was hard to put down. Going from the unknown to a sure path is one decision this author took with an open mind and accepting heart. Full of wisdom, inspiration, beautiful storytelling, and compassionate souls, “A Tree with My Name on It” by Victress Hitchcock is a book offering a kind hand and a forgiving heart.
Surrendering to the unknown and trusting the universe to sort everything out can be frightening, but it usually does help us to get to the other side of that mountain we need to climb. As she writes on page 321,
All you can see is what is right in front of you, and you just have to trust that, eventually, you will reach the other side, arriving safe and sound in the exact spot you need to be.
This memoir is a gentle reminder that no matter how insurmountable some barriers in life may appear, they are not impossible to overcome, and worth the effort to at least try.
Who knew that when Hitchcock took that course something bigger was calling her? She felt that she and her husband needed a change to save their marriage. She fell in love with a ranch where they ended up living. Then she got her first horse with that ranch. Then she found that tree. It appears fate is at play for her here. Was this a sign she was going to be happy living on this ranch? And that her marriage would be saved? This was her hope, something she clung to, so she embraced this big change in her life and gave it her best shot.
At the front of her mind was her attempt to fix things with her marriage. She writes about seeing a couple of “red flags” before the two of them married and not really doing much about them. She felt that switching to ranch life in their empty-nester years might help, along with trying to be more patient with her husband. Before the move, they had tried marriage counseling, and it didn’t do the trick.
One of the things she did was continue her quest to make this new setting her home and to feel more a part of it. She explored on her horse, met the neighbors, and talked with people who wanted conversation everywhere she went. In doing so, she felt a sense of belonging. Ranch life was very different compared to the city life she knew before, as well as more expensive. But she discovered that it was a nice change for her.
It was also something different for her in another way, as she shares on page 99:
I didn’t grow up with the idea of neighbors dropping by for a visit or coming if we needed help. We never stayed in one place long enough when I was a child. It felt good to get to know our neighbors, to feel a sense of belonging in this wild, barely inhabited place.
Another thing that helped Hitchcock feel more at home in her new location was her connection with a woman who once lived in the very same house she now inhabited. They strike up a friendship and send each other emails; the new friend shares her memories and the author shares her observations as the times and seasons changed. I loved reading both stories! They are so enchanting and captivating. I am glad the author included these passages in the book. But I also saw how this connection brought more peace and joy to her heart. It helped her to be more present in her new space and appreciate it even more through the cherished memories it created for another person.
I enjoyed reading the funny stories she shared, either from her own life or from her time living at the ranch. And sharing her experiences teaching incarcerated people how to meditate and about Buddhism was really fascinating. I liked how she shared when something one of them said resonated with her and even helped her to work out things she was going through. As she wrote about her husband wanting to sell the ranch while she wanted to stay there, I kept hoping that she would stand up for what she wanted and fight him for it.
“A Tree with My Name on It” is a heartwarming, endearing memoir that was hard to put down. Going from the unknown to a sure path is one decision this author took with an open mind and accepting heart. Full of wisdom, inspiration, beautiful storytelling, and compassionate souls, “A Tree with My Name on It” by Victress Hitchcock is a book offering a kind hand and a forgiving heart.
Surrendering to the unknown and trusting the universe to sort everything out can be frightening, but it usually does help us to get to the other side of that mountain we need to climb. As she writes on page 321,
All you can see is what is right in front of you, and you just have to trust that, eventually, you will reach the other side, arriving safe and sound in the exact spot you need to be.
This memoir is a gentle reminder that no matter how insurmountable some barriers in life may appear, they are not impossible to overcome, and worth the effort to at least try.
June 25, 2025
Victress delves deep into difficult periods of her life, shares her mountain woman experiences, and shows tremendous growth in her thinking and self-protection. This book is very well written with easy flows and beautiful descriptions. The story spans so many experiences from Buddhism coping mechanisms and reflections, building new and very different relationships, learning to survive and thrive from a deteriorating marriage, and needing to move on from places that she loves. The characters come to life and I felt that I was in the mountains with her.
Highly recommend this memoir for all of us who learn from other's experiences. To quote from the book: "the best way to navigate this life of constant change is not by trying to steer the ship where you want it to go, but by trusting your genuine heart of sadness to guide you through the stormy waves."
Highly recommend this memoir for all of us who learn from other's experiences. To quote from the book: "the best way to navigate this life of constant change is not by trying to steer the ship where you want it to go, but by trusting your genuine heart of sadness to guide you through the stormy waves."
February 26, 2025
As I was reading A Tree With My Name on it, I felt as though I was sitting by the fire with Victress at her beloved ranch, leaning back to enjoy the Colorado sky. Her story of losing and finding her voice is an engaging tapestry woven through a stunning wilderness landscape. More than once I recognized my own struggles and discoveries in her memories and reflections. I found an earthy honesty within the pages of this book, populated with unique people and animals, and enjoyed seeing life through the author's eyes. A very meaningful read, which also has me thinking about returning to horseback riding!
October 13, 2025
A Tree with My Name on It is an exquisite and deeply introspective memoir a meditation on healing, belonging, and rediscovering one’s true home within the self. Victress Hitchcock writes with rare honesty and spiritual depth, inviting readers into her journey from unraveling to awakening. Her storytelling is both grounded and transcendent, woven with nature’s wisdom, Buddhist insight, and profound human connection. Each chapter feels like a quiet lantern lit in the dark, illuminating the path toward self-acceptance and inner peace. A moving and unforgettable testament to courage, stillness, and the beauty of becoming whole.
June 25, 2025
Interesting journey, especially the work with prisoners and meditation/studies of Buddhism. My greatest takeaway was how important it is to constantly remind ourselves not to judge others by one deed, characteristic. Look and you will almost always find the humanity and some streak of goodness in everyone. Thanks for that so very necessary reminder in these often trying and polarized times.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews