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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

The Purple Plum Tree

We were out working in the yard a few days ago, when suddenly I lost track of Zeke.  I was shocked that he could disappear so fast... right in front of me!  Well, it didn't take me too long to realize that he hadn't run off somewhere; he went up.  Up into a tree that is.

When we moved into our house eight years ago, we relished the fact that we lived in a neighborhood with large mature trees.  I love trees- especially when they canopy over the road.  Fall is a favored time of year for that reason.   Our yard has two sugar maple trees, each one very large.  One maple is in the front of the house, the other in the back.  Apparently there were 3 more large trees in our yard at one point, cut down by previous owners for one reason or another.  I can't imagine that many large trees in the yard, but I can't imagine a yard without trees either. 
Over the years, we have planted shrubs and saplings in order to esthetically enhance our yard.  One tree we planted out front about 4 years ago was a purple plum tree.  It has beautiful pink flowers on it in the spring and keeps a deep purple color in the leaves all year long.  I have appreciated the splash of color it adds to the yard and the shade that it has provided to the driveway, especially now that it has grown. 

That gets us back to Zeke.  I guess I didn't realize that our little sapling purple plum had grown so much!  From Zeke's viewpoint, it is now perfect for climbing!   Who would have guessed!   By the time I heard his giggles, he was really high (at least according to me since he was over my head).   I was shocked that the tree wasn't bowing or bending at all, even at the height he was at.  



Pretty soon, Moses was up there with Zeke, too.



There's a lesson in there somewhere; a parable perhaps about how our kids are like trees- to be planted firmly in the faith (which starts with good soil), nurturing and caring for them, sitting back and letting God provide for them (like the sun and rain), and watching them develop strong roots that the winds and storms of life cannot move.

But for now, I will sit back and appreciate the simplicity of a sapling tree, growing over the years as the children have.   In a blink of an eye it has grown up... and to think I almost missed it if it weren't for a little mischievous tot named Zeke.

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