Monday Musings: The Most Treasured Tree

This is a picture of a painting my daughter Kristiana and son Josiah did for me last summer. They added buttons to make it a colorful masterpiece. When I was looking at it last night, it made me think of a tree story I wrote in 2005, which was shared at my school's annual Young Authors event. I am sharing it unedited. It has a strong message. I'd love to hear some posts about what you got out of it. Many blessings on your day.

The tree stood still and lifeless in the harsh and lonely desert. Its branches were completely bare, with not even so much as a single bud. No pretty blooms to give a bit of joy to people passing by on a long and tiring journey. No birds chirping busily around it. No tired soul ever came to rest against its trunk, for no shade was to be found there. There was nothing about the tree to make anyone say “oh, how beautiful”. In fact, no one ever noticed it at all. The tree had nothing to offer, and with no one to care for it, it looked as though it may wither and die at any time.

Then one day, a gardener passed by, carrying a shovel. He often took trips such as these to look for interesting plants, shrubs and trees. But there was nothing of interest about the tree. It was not even pretty to look at. But when the gardener saw it, he stopped quickly. His heart was somehow touched by its bare, lonely branches. It looked so unloved, and the gardener felt great compassion for it. The gardener knew immediately what he would do, for he saw something no one else could see. He spoke gently to the tree: “I must move you now, but it will be all right. I will replant you by streams of water. And in time, you will bear fruit. And leaves – oh, the beautiful leaves you’ll have! And such grand blossoms. Just wait, little tree, you shall become great!”

With his shovel, the gardener began to carefully dig a big circle around the base of the tree, not too close, for he didn’t want to damage any of its roots. Digging with great enthusiasm, his shovel finally reached beneath the tree. Lifting it carefully, so as not to hurt it, he spoke softly, “It’s all right. My horse is not far off. And he pulls a large sled, on which you will ride.”

With that, the gardener lifted the tree slowly, placing it across his shoulders, and carried it to the spot where his horse stood waiting. He fastened it with rope to the sled, laying a soft blanket beneath it, to cushion its bark. “There, there,” he assured the tree as he lovingly patted its trunk. “It will be a safe journey.” The gardener took the tree far away, over land and sea, and after many days, the tree reached its new home.

The gardener carefully planted the tree, making sure it had the best soil possible and that every root had room to reach into the ground and not be bent or bruised. For the gardener loved the tree, and knew he could care for it as no one else could. “I know you’ve been neglected, and that no one ever noticed you before,” he said to it. “But now that I have noticed you, you will never have to live an unlovely hopeless life again. I will give you the best care, the richest food…and the most love.” The gardener kept his word, coming daily to give the tree long and refreshing drinks of water. He fed its soil rich food, which nourished it. The tree, that had once been an ugly gray figure, fading into the desert sands, now sparkled with new life. There was beautiful moss growing on its trunk, and its bark had become thick and hearty. Bright green buds began to appear where new branches were growing.

The tree was overwhelmed by the gardener’s attentive care. It could hardly believe it, but when  the gardener spoke to it, tenderly nurturing it back to health as a parent would a sick child, the tree knew…it was his pride and joy, his most treasured tree. “You are beautiful,” the gardener said one day when he came to plant flowers around its base. “I will make sure you are well cared for all your life,” he assured it. “And of all the trees in the garden, none will grow as tall, or as wide, or as strong as you.” Could this wonderful promise be true? Would the tree really become all those things? It seemed too marvelous to imagine.

But the gardener kept coming to the tree every day. Some days he would prune it, cutting off parts of branches to allow the tree to grow fuller and more healthy. This “trimming” troubled the tree, but the gardener always assured it, “It is a good thing; you will see.” Some days he came to pull weeds that had grown up around the tree’s base. This gave the flowers more room to grow, and protected the tree from vicious weeds that would try to choke its roots so it could not grow. The tree could not believe how loved it was, for the gardener would let no harm come to it, and always took care of every detail. Some days the gardener would just come to gaze at the tree, his priceless treasure, with joy (and sometimes a tear) in his eyes.

Finally, after much time had passed, the tree’s leaves began to sprout until, soon, they covered whole branches. Before long, birds and other creatures of the forest came to rest among its branches and enjoy its marvelous shade. This was a great season for the tree. It had never felt so alive!

But all too soon, winter came. The tree began to lose all of its greenery, and it grew quite homely again. Oh, dear! How will the gardener love me now? it thought. It began to fear the ugliness, and the cold. But the gardener came to it with warm blankets and wrapped them securely around its trunk. “Don’t worry, my tree,” he said. “You will touch frost, but you will not freeze. This season is a part of life, and so you shall live on, after it is over, and be more beautiful than when the winter came. You shall see.” With this, he hugged the tree, bid it good night and went into the house.

Oh, how the wind howled that night. Some of the trees branches creaked, and it feared being blown over. But the gardener’s love had given it strong roots, and it hung on. It was no longer a withering, dying tree, but a strong and healthy tree. It would make it through the winter. Yes, indeed! Just as the gardener had promised.

Spring came again, and many seasons after that. Never did the tree feel afraid after that first winter. It knew that the gardener had thought of everything, and that it would always be treated in a loving way. As time went on, the tree grew taller, wider, and stronger than those around it because of the special care the gardener had given it. The years went by, and the tree grew older and more beautiful. The gardener kept on watering, feeding, and encouraging the tree, and though his hair grew gray, he always felt young when he was with his treasured tree. It pleased his heart every time he looked at it. Not once was he ever disappointed in the tree. Never did he frown at a knot or a broken twig. He was just so happy to have found the tree when he did, and to have been the one to give it a brand new start.

This dying, forgotten tree from the dry, forbidding desert had caught the gardener’s eye, and now, it was his prize--a glorious tribute to his tender care. It held a place of honor in his garden. All the beauty it had once lost had been restored, and even more. The gardener had loved it just as it was, and his love had caused an unnoticed tree to become magnificent. Never did a person walk by who didn’t stop to exclaim, Oh what a beautiful tree! Someone must have loved it very much.

No, it could not talk, but those who heard the tree’s remarkable story of transformation did not hesitate to tell the tale, as you are hearing it now. Rooted deeply, it would stand for many long years and become all that the gardener desired for it to be. For he would never leave it, and would never stop caring for its needs.