I remember sitting in Daddy’s recliner next to our big picture window looking outside. In the center of the lawn, a great spruce tree stood, beautiful and tall.
On spring days, rain glistened on the tree’s needles. “Such a shade of blue!” my dad exclaimed.
Birds hid deep inside that tree all summer. A robin sometimes chattered when Mama spread our picnic blanket in the big tree's shade. In autumn, we picked up empty seed cones scattered on the grass. When winter came, snow dolloped the resilient spruce branches like fresh whipped cream. “The perfect outdoor Christmas tree,” my mother said.
I couldn't begin to imagine how our home might look without that massive, friendly spruce. It had been there as long as I could remember--fragrant in sunlight and glowing when the moon was full.
But one blustery Monday, a single burst of strong wind toppled our spruce. All morning, persistent winds had bent the trunks of nearby quaking aspens, but the old spruce hadn't even seemed to move. Then, suddenly, a powerful gust rocked the tree back. And that was it. Blue-green branches littered the lawn beside a small crater where the tree had stood.
“Spruce trees feed shallow--their roots don’t grow deep,” Daddy explained when we trudged outside to inspect the damage. Mama’s cheeks were wet. She tied a few broken boughs with satin ribbon, and I helped her hang them on our front door. A hard lump ached in my throat.
Later that night my father talked quietly during Family Home Evening. He said trees were like people. No matter how beautiful and friendly--no matter how strong they seemed, a small squall could uproot them if their testimony wasn't firmly grounded. He told us a small squall could be a little problem or a sudden major trial.
“We put down deep roots when we keep the commandments,” Dad continued. To make sure I understood, he asked me what I could do to make sure I had deep roots.
I thought for a minute and then told him simple things like saying my prayers, telling the truth, and being kind to my friends would help me grow strong, deep roots. Mama smiled when she heard me tell those things.
A week later, after our toppled spruce had been sawed into logs and stacked against the shed, my parents and I went outside and planted a new tree. This time we planted an oak, because we knew its roots would grow down deep.
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If you have a beautiful tree in your yard, click on the link below to find directions for several suet bird feeders that even small children can make:
How to Make a Suet Bird Feeder - Today's Homeownerhttps://todayshomeowner.com |
