When my friends Gary and Linda relocated to Florida last
summer, they gave me a lot of perennials and trees from their yard to
transplant in my own. Among them were four ornamental trees with beautiful deep
purple/dark red oval shape leaves. I don’t even know the name of the tree, but
they were my favorite new addition to the yard. I spent a great deal of time
and effort last summer caring for those trees; watering them daily to do what I
can to help them take root.
I just loved them,
but it appears that they have succumbed to the incredibly harsh winter we had because
thus far there has been absolutely no signs of any life remaining in them. In
fact, I’ve already pulled out one of them; it just came right up roots and all
with a slight tug, so I’m sure that one has died. I was about to give up hope
on the other three…..that is, until yesterday when I discovered several very
small new leaves growing at the base of the tallest of the three remaining
trees.
There is absolutely no buds/blooms or any sign of leaves on
any of the branches, but when I was weeding, I noticed the new growth….way at
the bottom…and I was overjoyed. Does
this mean that the tree is going to make it? I’m not sure….but at least I know
there is hope, even if it is ever-so-slight.
It means that at least part of the roots have taken and there is a bit
of life remaining, even though the top of the tree appears to be completely
dead. Whether or not it is enough to
sustain the tree throughout the hot summer months is yet to be determined, but
for now, I have hope. I may have to trim the entire top of the tree down to the
base and start all over, but I’m willing to do what it takes to save the tree;
at least I’m going to do what I can.
Gosh, that tree is so much like our journey, isn’t it? We work so hard to change our lives. We try
our best to do the right thing. We are committed to success and are sure that
THIS TIME we are going to do it. But
then….in spite of our best efforts, life gets hard, (we face a hard cold
winter, if you will), and it appears that we have failed…or are failing….because
there is no evidence that any of our hard work has made a difference. Perhaps we’ve
hit a plateau. Perhaps we’ve given in to temptation….for the umpteenth time. Perhaps our situation has not improved or
changed in any way, even though we’ve done ‘everything right’ and gave it our
best shot. It simply appears that we are
in a battle that we cannot possibly win; it’s simply TOO HARD, and we are just
about to give up. Maybe we’ve already
given up. BUT then…..something happens
to give us hope and we discover new growth on an otherwise ‘dead appearing tree!”
Maybe someone we
haven’t seen in a while gives us a compliment and says, “Hey, have you lost
weight?” Perhaps we’ve pulled our summer
clothes out of storage and last year’s shorts zip up easier or are too
big. Maybe all of a sudden you get on
the scale after a couple of weeks and discover that FINALLY you record a
loss. Maybe you even read some post or
see some quote on Facebook or in your e-mail and you know that God is speaking
to you and telling you…. “Don’t give up….don’t pull that tree out of the ground
just yet….give it a bit more time…..trust ME that there is hope; there is life;
there is a possibility; your miracle is about to happen!
If you look around and ask God to help you become aware of
the ways in which He offers support and encouragement to you on your journey,
you will begin to discover signs like this all around you. My friends, you are not ALONE in your
struggles. Even if you don’t share a faith in a higher power, God is still
working in your life, but is likely using nature, people in your life….even
strangers….to encourage and support you along the way. Please don’t give up! Look for a sign….any little sign….to encourage
you to keep trying. Because, very
likely, when you discover that tiny little set of leaves, you will begin to do
whatever you can to make those leaves grow. Your spirit will be revived and
your willpower will increase.
You can be assured
that I will be doing extra watering and fertilizing and putting all my effort
into trying to nurture that tree. I won’t give up until I know for sure it is completely
dead…..but my guess is that with a lot of extra care….those little leaves will continue
to grow, and perhaps, just perhaps, that tree will leaf out completely. But it
may take A VERY LONG TIME to do so, especially if it has to start all over from
the bottom, but I won’t give up on that tree. I won’t give up on my journey. And
I won’t give up on you, either!
Look for those little leaves in your life……and make it a
good day!
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