As our world spins and things get even crazier . . .
One of my favorite Bible parables is the Good Samaritan and I can almost hear my Sunday School kindergarten kiddos saying, “A parable is a story that teaches us a lesson.”
Recently, our family was reminded of the Good Samaritan when our beautiful maple tree in the backyard split during the storm on Tuesday night.
I heard the wind, rain and a loud crack but without power it was hard to see exactly what happened in between lightning strikes until the early morning when I walked outside with a sense of dread. Our neighbors Jerry and Mary Butts were delivering newspapers and Jerry said that he would come over when they were done. As a volunteer fireman, he also had just returned from the house fire on Gehin Road.
It wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad. We were safe and no one was hurt. About a third of the tree had fallen on the garage and my Dad’s truck.
Once there was a tree…. and she loved a little boy. And every day the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek. And when he was tired, he would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree…. very much. And the tree was happy.
On my way to work, I called Yogi and Brian Brown to see if they had a chain saw that we could borrow. The Brown family are friends and fellow 4-H Club members and have come to my rescue more than once and besides milking 200-plus cows and growing crops on more than 450 acres, they are a family who gets things done. Brian’s dad Jerry got everything ready for me to take the chain saw back home complete with ear protection.
But time went by. And the boy grew older. And the tree was often alone. Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, “Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy.” “I am too big to climb and play,” said the boy. “I want to buy things and have fun. I want some money?” “I’m sorry,” said the tree, “But I have no money. I have only leaves and apples. Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in the city. Then you will have money and you will be happy.”
Doug, Michael and Benjamin worked all morning taking branches to the curb and clearing a path to the garage.
After lunch, Brian, Doug, and Devin Brown, neighbor Jerry Butts and backyard neighbor Roland Pagano joined in and worked as Northwood’s lumberjacks for several hours. Note: afternoon temperature was 85 degrees and humidity was high.
Throughout the day, several other friends and neighbors called or stopped by and offered to help.
“I’m amazed at what we were able to get done,” said Doug (Viney) at the end of a long ‘vacation’ day.
When I arrived home, the driveway was clear, my Dad’s truck barely had a scratch and the garage only had some minor damage to the corner of the roof.
Thank you to the neighbors and friends who stopped or offered to help. We cannot thank you enough.
And after a long time the boy came back again. “I am sorry, Boy,” said the tree,” But I have nothing left to give you – My apples are gone.” “My teeth are too weak for apples,” said the boy. “My branches are gone,” said the tree. ” You cannot swing on them.” “I am too old to swing on branches,” said the boy. “My trunk is gone,” said the tree. “You cannot climb.” “I am too tired to climb,” said the boy. “I am sorry,” sighed the tree. “I wish that I could give you something…. but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump. I am sorry.” “I don’t need very much now,” said the boy. “Just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired.” “Well,” said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, “Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.” And the boy did. And the tree was happy.
We are going to miss our maple tree in the back yard. The tree that yielded more than 21 large bags of leaves during the first of many rakings when we first moved to Belleville. The tree that the Daycare Kiddos loved to climb. And the tree that shaded our afternoon picnics or fire pit campfires . . . . The Giving Tree.
And maybe the lessons learned from the story of the Good Samaritan will stop the world from getting even crazier . . . show love, understanding and compassion for others. Simple.
Marian Viney is a graphic designer for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. Viney grew up on a dairy farm near Oregon and was an active member of the Oregon Headliner’s 4-H Club and the Oregon FFA. She and her husband, Doug, have three sons and live in Belleville, where she serves as clerk on the local school board.
Leave a Reply