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An Afternoon Blog: We the Tree
Our backyard is filled with big and small oak trees and even some cypress stand tall against the back drop of the water.
My favorite has always been the mighty oak tree who has always bent down across the walkway. She acted as a canopy over the walkway going out to the dock. We have watched this mighty oak move downwards inch by inch as the base of the oak aged.
Last year we had a tree surgeon check her out. We were worried she would fall over and trap one of our grandchildren or one of the dogs chasing a ball. He told us to let her fall gracefully and we would wake up one morning and there she would be.
I was glad to hear that and anxious at the same time. I feared her fall would happen with one of us under her natural bow.
The tree surgeon pointed out that a smaller oak on the other side of the walkway was holding up this mighty oak. As she began her bend to the other side, this smaller tree used his tiny branches to hold the oak up. The old oak was actually resting in the arms of a younger oak.
I loved that tree and her tree friend who held her up. When hurricanes came through and flooded our backyard, those two trees stood together and weathered the storm. When other branches fell from a strong wind, those two could be seen holding on for dear life. It appeared these two mighty oaks were best friends and the younger one was doing all she could to keep her friend upright.
This morning as I was walking away from my computer and the daily attack from those who hate us, I felt the house shake and heard a soft, rustling thud in the backyard. I figured another limb had broken off one of the trees. When I got to the door…there she was. The mighty oak was down.
As I walked outside to view the damage, a small canopy could still be seen as she continued her best to arch her trunk over the walkway. The dogs cautiously walked under her and looked around at the change in scenery. Her large limbs were intact – attached to her large curved trunk. She fell in perfect form without harming the fish fountain that was still spitting water among the downed branches. The large bird topiary could be seen standing in the middle of large branches who fell all around her. And the old oak tree’s friend was still holding part of her branches as the others rested against her younger trunk.
Just as the tree surgeon predicted, she laid down quietly as her tree friend tried to save her.
I imagined how the other trees felt watching their friend die. I wondered if trees had feelings and if they were crying for their loss.
I’ve sat outside for hours just looking at her. In a day or two, men will converge on our backyard with chain saws and axes. Her wood will be chopped up and some of her branches will be burned in the fire pit. The rest of the wood will be put aside for next year’s cold spell. All these years she gave us shade and next year she will give us warmth.
You may tire of my writings and wonder how one person could have so many signs in her life. I wonder that too.
When she fell this morning, I did not cry. I will miss her and the beautiful canopy we have enjoyed for so long. What I focused on was her friend who was left behind. She is not as mighty in form and trunk but she did all she could do to support her tree friend. In fact, without a doubt, she held her up longer than expected. She just couldn’t hold the weight of that mighty oak as she inched closer to the ground day by day. She didn’t have the large branches aged over time to hold her up anymore.
After two hours of looking at her, here’s the message I got from the One who blesses me with them.
Inch by inch our country is going down. We are watching this happen yet we believe America could never go down. We can’t fathom it because she has always withstood anything thrown at her. It doesn’t even resonate as truth with so many. But it is. The facts are there and the many voices trying to sound the alarm are ridiculed and laughed at.
Just imagine if all the trees surrounding our yard had pulled their branches together and placed them firmly under the bend of the old oak tree. Although her roots would have finally given away, her friends would have supported her and kept her alive a little longer. But reality is this: Only one tree friend tried to hold her up and she couldn’t do it alone. The weight of the old oak tree was too much for one to handle.
The old oak tree is dead. It will take more people standing up to keep this from happening to America.
Views: 30
Comment
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Comment by Beth Korey on May 31, 2011 at 9:25am
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It reminds me of a story my husband told. When he was a boy he was brought to a meeting with
his uncles who owned a grocery store. He was given a pencil and told to break it which he did.
Then his uncle game him an entire pack of pencils and told him to break it - which of course he
couldn't. The moral of course was that alone you could be broken, together we are strong. The
story of the oak tree was moving and reminds us that we must rely on each other to save this
country. We might lose one battle but there are others to fight and we will be strong and continue
to grow.
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Comment by Joe Wright on May 26, 2011 at 10:30am
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Billie, your words always ring so true. Thank you for sharing them.
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Comment by Peggy Hall on May 25, 2011 at 8:26pm
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Another awesome post Billie. Thank you.
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Comment by Joe Story on May 25, 2011 at 7:45pm
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Billie,
You paint a picture in my mind of who we are as a nation.
God has called us as a mighty nation like none before. He has shown his face to us many times. Through the rejection of God we have grown weak, and over time became vulnerable because of our internal divisions. It is not the strength of the Islamists, but frailties within the fabric of the heart of our nation, that must be recognized as its primary vulnerability to attack. We are a rebellious people and do not call upon God, but rather follow our own thoughts as if we are gods mocking Jesus Christ to his face. God will not let the iniquities of this secular humanism society created by so our called “progressive leaders” continue. He has warned us that we will be repaid. It took a civil war to bring us low enough to create our national motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” which first appeared on a coin in 1864. Let’s hope we can avoid that destructive path this time.
Our hope for restoration comes only through the troubles which so clearly show the error of our ways to the whole world. We are known as the “Great Satan” because we have fallen to Satan's numerous temptations, the principle ones among them are idolatry, fornication, theft, extortion, greed, fraud, drunkenness, impatience, adultery, murder, jealousy, false witness, lying, envying, wrath, slander, heresy and a thousand other crimes like them. Add to this number gambling either with derivatives or cards. Pretty contemporary list, wouldn't you say? Thus the Religion of Secular humanism is practiced to its fullest in our society. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality.
Secular Humanism is wrong. To believe in chance, (Fortune), or luck, (Destiny), is to believe that God doesn't exist or that God's not sovereign. If God does exist and He does, and since He is all powerful, all knowing, He is the creator and the sustain-er of the universe, He is the one who upholds everything by His own power and brings to pass His own will, there is no such thing as luck. It is non-existent and chance is non-existent. Things don't just happen randomly by chance. Chance is nothing. It's non-existent.
God says that he will not destroy the country because there is benefit in it. He will act on behalf of his chosen servants in order not to destroy everyone. Those who seek him and follow his commandments will be spared but those who do not follow his commands and who continue to seek Fortune and who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny will be destined for the sword. They shall bow down for the slaughter according to Isaiah 65; 11-12. Literally bend over to be decapitated by Me. It is symbolic that the people God has chosen to administer the punishment, the Islamic extremist, use the sword to do just that. 9/11 was a warning.
Our only hope is that he will find more than enough of His servants in our nation so that he does not feel compelled to destroy it like another Sodom and Gomorra. So what is the benefit to God in the country? Is it possible for us to show the world God’s forgiving mercy by being humble and contrite of spirit and tremble at the word of God? What an example to the world to say we were wrong and ask God’s forgiveness for our sins.
God’s desire is for us to bless him.
Now the real question is can we do that. Can we repent of our sins as a nation and return to the teachings of our fore-fathers? Can we become a nation of Christian Character?
The best stimulus is individual confidence based on a firm foundation knowing that we are following God’s will in our lives and in our society. I love to listen to Lee Greenwood sing God Bless the USA!
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Beatiful parable, Billie. My concern is that if Obama wins a second term, you and we may lose more than just and old, oak tree.
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Comment by JL Gawlik on May 25, 2011 at 4:47pm
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@Joanna that is so true, i spent almost a half hour trying to get a message on The Atlantic blog about a story that stated the FOX's Ailes thinks Sarah Palin is stupid. It was taken from a article from the NY Times. I posted 13 posts, and mine kept disappearing, only the far left progressive name calling posts remain. THAT IS what is going on. On the good side one must ask WHY is FOX news so popular? The answer is clear, they offer truth, facts then when they offer opinion, editorial they state it clearly. News media outlets have become whores for money. George Soros is pumping billions into the news media outlets. Amazing, i never would of thought in a million years that Journalists, real journalists would ever give up their freedom of the press to suppress our Liberties and Freedoms for money, but there it is....
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Billie,
Beautiful story... i have spent most of the day reading posts, news stories about how Paul Ryan's budget may help the GOP loose the house because the progressives are attacking his budget and using scare tactics by 'Mediscare'. Fear mongering the elderly and unfortunate in our country. Spreading lies... Up in NY, a millionaire Democrat ran as a TeaParty Party (which there is none), to take away votes from the conservative GOP candidate. The conservative candidate lost because the Democratic candidate used Mediscare. One less seat in the House.
We had a large oak tree that fell also several years ago, i still think a small tornado was in our neighborhood, my husband think it was a downdraft, as i stood transformed by the view out of my kitchen window with rain pounding down, feeling the air pressure going down, rain going sideways, hitting the windows, first left, right, upwards, a loud howling noise from the wind, then suddenly the ground shook and rain was so heavy i could not see... but knew from the shaking of the house and ground what had happened, i went into my family room and the wind finally abated... and there was our massive old oak tree with it's huge root system in tack, laying on the ground ... all 60 to 70 feet, on it's side. It missed our house, laid down the opposite way, tore down our fence and onto the property behind that had just been cleared of massive oak trees, pine trees, cedar trees. It had withstood hurricanes, windstorms, so many decades of stormy weather, droughts, life... it housed so many southern flying squirrels, grey squirrels, birds, owls, red tailed skinks, chameleons, insects... life. It went down hard, quickly ... that is how i feel our country is going... i just can not understand why people are not questioning what is going on, how the majority of the people in that NY district, how could they vote for a progressive Democrat after 60 years of voting for conservatives? Mediscare... why aren't people who vote educating themselves? Why isn't the truth getting out over the lies? Look what happened in our city just last week on May 17th.
@Tony Middleton, Thank you for your service. I don't believe the left is driven by passion, i believe it is driven by only 15-20% of the population who are truly passionate about progressivism/marxism but i believe they have developed a well oiled political machine along with media bias that can quickly spread lies, fear and demagoguery of the truth, facts and the GOP.
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Comment by Joy Nelson on May 25, 2011 at 4:33pm
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A heartwarming story and so true. We will not let America die - there are many arms still holding her up. God Bless the USA.
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We are oaks standing by The Living Water with deep roots. No matter how much we are battered, we will stand firm, shoulder to shoulder. We may get pruned and banged around in vicious liberal winds and attacked by lamestream locusts but we will stand firm until the day of Christ Jesus.
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Comment by Debbie G on May 25, 2011 at 4:10pm
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America's spirit truly shines when we stand together, I will stand with all my tea party friends no matter what.
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