Thursday, August 18, 2011

Room to Grow

Over the past several years,  this tree has grown from a spindly random sprout into a giant, towering over my home. Countless hours have been spent in its shade, semi-secluded from neighbors, thinking, writing, reading, laughing, praying, crying, eating, wondering.

A few springs ago, I woke to a freak May snowstorm that had dumped a foot of heavy wet snow over everything newly green. My dear tree, my shelter from life's storms, had split down the middle.



A tree-fixer person gave me a plan to save it, which a friend executed. This tree has done much for me over the past several years as I've been learning to live alone. I will do much for it in return, to help it survive its own battles with whatever would threaten its existence.  
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This afternoon, I got out my saw and removed chunks of the 18-year-old bench that had been installed a decade before this tree even dreamed of sprouting. Two other times I'd taken a sliver out of the bench, but recent growth had the tree beginning to dislodge the planks. As my saw bit through the final inch of lumber,
I swear I heard the tree sigh in relief.

My tree taught me that sometimes things need to be cut away, in order to give room to grow.

What in your life is squeezing too tightly?

7 comments:

Sharon said...

Loved this post--have to run off to Scrabble, so I can't leave details---but wanted you to KNOW that I LOVED this post!

aquamaureen said...

Thank you, Sharon: and I hope you thoroughly enjoy your Scrabble time . . . you deserve some fun!

Jeanne said...

I want to run off to Scrabble . . .

Sharon said...

I checked, and there are no NASPA Scrabble clubs or even casual Scrabble clubs in your area.

http://www2.scrabble-assoc.com/main.asp?id=2

You know what that means?? Yes! You could begin one! It is great fun and extremely stimulating for your brain. This is a link to the casual club organization. Hope it works.

Sharon said...

Well. it didn't turn blue, so I guess you will have to copy and paste. Sorry.

aquamaureen said...

my new fun (for me, all the fun of scrabble with very little of the downside) is my homemade version of Bananagrams . . .

Eydie Kugler said...

Hi AquaMaureen,
I say you name in the comment section in Body Restoration and just had to stop on by to say HI. I love the picture of you twirling in you dress. So happy to be on this journey with you.
Eydie