I recently made the difficult decision to say good-bye to a handsome old tree which resided just outside the Prayer Room of my little house.
Only four of the 13 mature trees on my property have names, and unfortunately, I had not given this one a name.
I enjoyed seeing his mighty branches and leafy greens when I would gaze out the Prayer Room window. His limbs also brushed lovingly against my upstairs window, and he would wave to me in the breeze whenever I looked out.
But the near-tornado experience we had last month scared me. When he lost sizable limbs due to that storm, they skidded across my home's roof, tearing off shingles and breaking the roof vent. And when I looked more carefully at him, I realized that many of his large branches were dying. And, as if he loved my house, 90% of him was leaning directly toward it, meaning that if he should lose his balance in the future, he would surely fall on my little house.
And so, after many prayers and consultations, the tree and I decided that it was time for him to retire from his duties of shade-provider and give of himself in other ways, such as in the form of wood chips (from his branches), furniture (from his mighty trunk), and perhaps eventually paper.
Mom, Dad, Grandmom, and I enjoyed quite a show as we watched the tree come down, sitting on lawn chairs in my backyard. It took two hours to remove the limbs and another hour (on a different day) to remove the trunk. The methods by which only two men completed this feat truly amazed me!
Whenever I visit them, I'll pay a little homage to my old tree friend by sitting and resting on his stumps. Thank you for your life, tree!
