THE TREE

 None of us knew the significance a Norfolk Island Pine Tree would have in our lives.  I purchased a baby Norfolk Island Pine Tree in the early 1970's.  I moved to Germany (not military) in the late 1970's and gave The Tree to my mother.  It was still young and tender when she took over caring for The Tree.  In 1979, I had some very bad, hard things happen in my life.  When I got back to the States, The Tree had shed all but it's top three branches and barely had any growth at all.  It was almost dead.  My mother never gave up on it, though.  She continued to nurture it and feed it and give it attention. 
By the 1980's, I had three beautiful children and they brought me much joy.  Oh how I loved to rock them and play with them when they were little!  I went to visit my parents for Christmas and The Tree had grown!!  It had new branches and healthy growth at the top.  It even had a second tree trunk growing beside the original trunk.  It was happy!
In the early 1990's, more very sad and hard, hard things happened to me. It was a dark, dark time.  I visited my mom, and The Tree still had two trunks, but it's branches were brown and shedding and, like me, was hanging on to life by a thread.  Many hard, difficult times followed.  Mom continued to nurture and feed the almost dead tree.  She did not give up on it.  Then in 1998 I decided to move to Colorado and  made the move in 1999.  My horse chose me in Colorado in 1998.  I drove back to visit my parents and The Tree had grown a third trunk and was very, very healthy!!  My three children were in college by then and our lives were beginning to heal, although the wounds were still a bit raw.  Then my children graduated from University, one is a Psychiatrist and married a precious woman and into a wonderful family. One has her bachelor's degree and married a good man and into a wonderful family.  He has his Ph.D and teaches finance in a University.  My  youngest married a beautiful young woman...beautiful inside and out!  She has a wonderful family, as well.  He obtained his J.D. at a prestigious university in the Eastern United States.  He now practices Law and his wife has her Ph.D in Psychology and practices her profession.
The Tree flourished, as did we!  I visited my parents and The Tree was beautiful and decorated with red ribbons for the Holidays and hung with ornaments!  It was tall and strong and full of character with it's three trunks and healthy growth.  My parents had to move and The Tree went to live in a coffee shop with a friend.  The Tree loved it's place in the coffee shop!  My mother never forgot about The Tree.  She visited it, nurtured it and decorated it for the Holiday Season.
Then it came time for me to take The Tree back home to live with me...after all these years from the late 1970's until 2013, The Tree had survived life's trials.  It was strong.  It loved it's spot in my back yard.  My mother told me since it was a tropical tree from a South Pacific Island, it would not survive temperatures under 40 degrees.  It's main trunk had grown big and round.  The other two trunks were also large and tall.  It's roots had grown large and spread out.  I piled mulch around the tree and protected it with sheets and tried to take care of it outside.

The Tree died.

The Old Tree...the one that died....is still in my back yard.  I sawed off the dead limbs and cried and left a good bit if it's trunk and cried some more.  My children's little Dachshund's burial stone is still by The Old Tree Trunk.  The Old Tree is a Giving Tree.  Birds love it.  I am putting a bird house on it so The Old Tree will be giving life, still.  The dog's (Katy) burial stone is still beside The Old Tree. 
 No words can express how I felt when the Old Tree died...the sadness and loneliness.  After all, The Tree had been part of our lives for so many years and my mother had nurtured it and me through the hard times.  I tried to understand why it died, since I am happy now....I left it outside in the cold.  Then I began to think, well, maybe it is time to let go of the old life and welcome in the new life I had begun.  I wanted to get another tree so badly, but the time never seemed right.  Then, last weekend when my husband and I were in Dallas, Texas (my mother's favorite city in the whole world!), by chance, I stopped into a nursery and there stood a Norfolk Island Pine Tree with three trunks and very, very healthy growth.  I bought it and it is home with me now...The three trunks are now parallel with my children's lives.  The Tree is thriving and so are they.  I am happy and so is The Tree.  I will let The New Tree be outside in the summertime, but in October, it is coming into the house where it can be safe and warm.  The Old Tree is still giving and giving and is my old friend.  It has it's place and purpose still.  The Old Tree holds memories of times gone by, of the lives I have lived.  It has much wisdom and character and when I talk to it, The Old Tree solves many problems!  It continues to give and is happy with it's wisdom and knowledge of who I was and who I have become and how I have grown through the years.  It is good.  The Old Tree and The New Tree are here, watching over us as parents watch over their children and our Father God in Heaven watches over us with His Light, Wisdom and Might.