AS I TYPE THIS

As I type this, I am sitting in front of my computer with my youngest daughter sitting in the school desk next to mine. She was supposed to finish some spelling word work today and did not do it. So I have to keep on her about it.

I have been thinking about trees. Yes trees. When we lived in Oklahoma, we had this huge thirty year old Weeping Willow tree. Instead of growing straight up, it grew three huge branches. It was a really beautiful tree. It was huge and encompassed most of our front yard. Got only knows how big its root system was. I pampered that tree. I had a huge garden box under it. I used to put my youngest daughter under it on a blanket while I gardened. I would plant mums, petunias, and all other kinds of flowers. The mums would always bloom big. I had one that was given to me. It was dead or so I thought. I transplanted it in my garden. Low and behold, it grew beautifully. I eventually had to break them up and move them to other spots in the box.

In our last year up in Oklahoma, that Willow tree took a serious beating that eventually killed it. The beginning of the year brought severe ice and snow storms. It killed a third of it then. Then the spring brought harsh storms. One night we had a tornado threat in the area. Half mile up the road, a huge thunderstorm spawned a tornado and funnel clouds in the area. It took out a huge horse barn and left in a pile of rubble. The previous owner of our home's son had a two by four come through their bedroom ceiling missing them by minutes. Our little trailer rocked sideways. It was the first time that ever occurred. When the storm moved on, a terrible mess was left behind. Amazingly, our little brand new Neon was missed by six inches. My husband's new Dodge Ram was missed by two feet. That Willow tree finally died that night. It was a sad day for us. We knew that our time in Oklahoma was limited. It was sign of the times. Our maple trees in the back yard had been stripped of twenty to thirty feet of limbs and branches. Just little stubs remained. We had a small maple tree in the front yard that never did well during our time there. When the Willow died, that small Maple took off. In a previous storm, we thought we would lose the baby maple. She stuck with us just like that Willow. She finally got her chance at the water instead of the Willow.

Here I am that little maple growing. I have had my limbs stipped just as she did. I often think of those trees. They were beautiful in their own grandeur. They provided peace and serenity. I hope one day that I too will be able to truly plant my roots just like that little maple.