Young Green

A magnificent pine stands tall and proud at the top of our front steps. Planted as a replacement for a decades old evergreen that our neighbor to the south felt needed to go because the "dirty tree" shed too many needles on her driveway, the younger beauty consistently brings me joy.  I grieved over the loss of the mature evergreen from the moment our neighbor gave us the bad news that the tree was literally on the chopping block and mourned over the barren ground laid to waste after the tree cutters finished their work on that chilly November day. 

That was 10 years ago. Several weeks after the tree was felled and carted off, my parents gifted us with a new pine tree, small, sturdy and growing in a 12 inch diameter plastic pot.  We were hopeful that this baby pine would one day tower over us and recreate the wall of green between the two properties. We weren't disappointed. This tree stands at least 15 feet and grows taller and and wider with each passing growing season.

Each June, I marvel over the signs of new growth that burst forth faithfully, year after year. The light green needles "budding out" from the darker interior branches remind me that healing comes with the passage of time. My heart no longer aches for that lost tree when I witness what springs eternal from the earth below.