The Mighty Maple

There it stands.  Proud and tall.  It speaks of promises of the future.  Promises that fill me with great expectations and with excitement.  It was, by far, the greatest material gift I've received.  It is my newly-acquired maple tree and, boy, am I ever in love with it! 

Yesterday was a simply marvelous day.  It started out 'heavenly' and ended with an indescribable level of peace.   It was an almost perfect day. 

After teaching Sunday school yesterday, we packed up the family for a picnic lunch at the park that I grew up playing in.  Of course things have changed in the past 30 years, but the memories lurked in every place that I looked.  

... standing on the top of the bleachers, my brother and I would look at one another and grin before jumping off the top into the mountain of snow the town plows had piled beneath...

...there used to be an open building/shelter over there... arts and crafts every day during the summer months.. sand art... smelly bathrooms...

... used to curl up and sit inside of the fountain.. gossiping as well as a couple of 8 year olds could..

...running over to "the stand" with a fistful of change to buy penny candy and pixie sticks... ohh the rush of sugar...

...racing down the path at top speed to be the first one to get into the town's swimming pool.. ooohhh I stepped on a copperhead snake...

... lying on top of the hill and imagining what the clouds really looked like... a horse! ... a dog!..  a dragon!... and then barrel rolling down the hill as fast as we could.. the race was on!

The area that I grew up in was the most wonderful, fun-filled place to spend my childhood.   The town swimming pool was almost in my backyard.  All we had to do was take a short walk down a path and it was there. 

The swimming pool wasn't the only thing there.  The tree that my brother used to climb and hide in was there.  He would climb up that tree and sit there giggling as my mother stood beneath him looking for him, calling him to dinner.  The hill full of three-leaf clovers was there.  As hard as we tried, finding four leaf clovers was a near impossible feat to accomplish.  The football and baseball fields were there.  The town playgound was there.

I sat on the top of the hill remembering yesterday.  I remembered so many memories and  basked in the remembrance.  Every once in awhile, I would nudge one of the kids and relive a memory.  I wanted them to understand.  I wanted them to close their eyes and remember with me.  Of course, they couldn't but they tried.

They took turns barrel rolling down the hill as I did many, many years ago.  They raced through the fields and stared longingly at the town pool.  It was heaven to watch them.  I swear I could almost hear the giggles of my brother and I. 

Almost..

As we were getting ready to go, I made my youngest lie in the middle of the field with me.  There we laid, upon our back, staring up at the fluffy white clouds and the bluest of blue sky. 

...look it's a turtle...

To be honest, I didn't want to leave.  I didn't want to stop looking at those fluffy white clouds.  I didn't want to leave the feeling of being eight years old again.  But I left there with such a sense of peace, and I also left there with my 8 and 12 year old sons loving the area.  They left there knowing why I was so happy there.   I like to believe that they left there feeling at least a bit of what I used to feel and what I feel now being there.. 

I was allowed to choose anything I wanted for Mother's Day -- within reason, of course.  I chose a maple tree for the front yard.  I didn't realize how significant this tree was going to be for me.  

I sat on the front porch and watched as my husband and my 8 year old son dug the hole, carefully planted and watered it.  After my husband mulched around it, Tyler asked if he would put rocks around the edges of the mulch.  I sat there a bit overwhelmed while watching all of this going on.  They were planting this for me.  They, without realizing it, created a memory for me that will be just as sweet as those of my childhood.

As I watch this tree grow over the years, I will fondly look back and, hopefully, experience the incredible level of peace that I felt yesterday.  I will remember yesterday for as long as I live.

The gift of peace is a wonderful gift to receive.  They wrapped it up in a pretty package yesterday with a bright shiny bow.  

Just for me..