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Mom's Tree

I really do love the four seasons. I enjoy watching the change of color, seeing trees and plants go dormant for the winter. Everything is finally green and practically growing in front of our eyes.
I'm always surprised to see the new growth on a branch that had looked dead for four months. It's fun to watch and I get excited seeing new growth on our trees and flowers.

Last Thanksgiving some of our family came to celebrate. It was bittersweet in the way that it was our first Thanksgiving since Jim's mom passed away. He wanted to do something special to honor her and knew that birch trees were one of her favorites. So, in late November he got in his truck and drove to a few places looking for birch trees. Most nurseries were out or didn't carry them. He had one last stop before he would give up. He looked all over and as he was heading out the owner asked if she could help him find something. He said "I don't suppose you have any birch trees?" She replied " actually I do, we had just put them in the barn until next Spring." Even though the tree was already looking dormant, it was perfect! 

He brought the tree home and waited for everyone to arrive so that they could be a part of planting a special tree in honor of his mom on Thanksgiving. In fact we refer to it as "Mom's Tree". 

I have to admit, I was a wee bit concerned it wouldn't survive having planted it right before the brutal temps and storms. Partly because the owner had said she put them in the barn until Spring and the other part was it already looked sort of dead. Here we just dropped it in a hole in the ground in the yard and hoped for the best.

Over the next five months, I watched the wind blow it around a bit. Heavy rain dump on it, on serval occasions. I saw it covered in snow and I even caught Annie digging around near the base of the trunk. And I wondered..... Will it live through this? Will it ever grow and be that beautiful birch we envisioned when we planted it? 

You can imagine how excited we were about a month ago to see not only was Mom's Tree alive, it was budding! Little ones at first and then green leafs and now it is full and thriving! Mom's Tree weathered the storm and that seems to have made her stronger. It is even providing a little patch of shade when the sun hits it just right.  It looks like it is growing over night. 


Now I often wonder what Mom's Tree would look like had it spent all winter in a barn protected from the environment? Would it be as fruitful? Would it be able to endure high winds? Probably not. By now the roots have gone deep. And it will be able to handle the next heavy rain and winds and it will continue to grow and be fruitful. I also can't wait to hang a wind chime on one of its branches. It is becoming exactly what we envisioned when we planted it. 

I love that little tree for so many reasons! It reminds me of Judy QT, the love our family shared that very special weekend. And of course, it reminds me of God's great love for us. He loves us enough to allow storms in our life to strengthen us so that our roots go down deep in Him. He wants us to mature and produce fruit and even provide a little patch of shade for others. 

Life isn't meant to be spent wrapped up and tucked away safely away from the storms. There are seasons in life when only God knows what we need in order to produce growth in Him. To become exactly who He envisions us to be. 


Pressing On 


““But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.””
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Romans 8:18 NIV


“because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:3-4 NIV

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