Tree of Life

Or

An Interesting Thing Happened On Our Way...

This is the story of a real tree. It was in our office in London and no one had a green thumb; so it suffered, and survived. Mind you we (three of us) watered it, fertilized it and fussed over it...but (another detail) it was caught right between two air conditioning units which didn't help but it was the only place it would fit. It suffered so much that when it looked like it was dragging...because it truly was!...someone tied it up with duck tape to help it stay upright and hurried on their way. But the tree survived all of this.

So I gave it away when we moved the office, along with other sorts of useful items which we no longer had use for or had too much excess of. The offices were to be empty for over a month and there was no way we could see to move it in our little car. In actuality it was gone before I got back to the office and the person there didn't even pay attention to the tree being moved, so I didn't even see who took it or where it went. Then, on our way out of the garage, as we were heading out to new horizons, I happened to glance to the side and see this green, straight, beautiful tree! "Wow," I thought, "that is a great silk plant just sitting there". It was then that reality hit me...that was our tree...the same one!

Well, it had been ours...don't we all say that? We sometimes are in so much of a hurry so much so that things and people slip aside or fall through the cracks and suffer. Sometimes we don't even notice. My thought is that we tried with the plant, we truly did...but one person truly made a difference. I was so grateful to see the tree transformed in just a few days; and I am grateful for each one of us/you who transforms others lives.

We are sometimes like the plant...we drag. We try to chose a healthy way of living and take care of ourselves...but still we suffer. Sometimes alone and sometimes with others all around us...sometimes for long periods of time and then someone comes along and touches our lives for good.

Someone with knowing hands had gotten the proper tools and used proper (a very British term here!) knowledge and transformed that tree! They can help us, and even better, we can help touch another's life. There is an ad running here during the holidays that says..."If you know the person, you will get the right gift"...isn't that great! They show all sorts of people and animals and what they end up with that's perfect for them!

That's why I had to take a picture of that tree as it made such a difference to me. That's the way our special friends are (or any body who is near and dear to us)...our angels who "know" us and nuture us. The other lesson is there is a beautiful person inside each of us. All it takes is that special prson who can bring that beauty to light.

SMILE!

YOU are beautiful!