I have this friend named Kerri. She and I have a certain notoriety for adventures. Most of them, of course, have been her idea. (Do I hear a protest coming from Pawhuska, Oklahoma?)
Many years ago, we planned a baby shower together. Kerri went to the local greenhouse/nursery and brought back a dead tree.
Dead. Like four feet of spindly, dried out limbs of peeling bark. Dead, dead.
“What are you going to do with that tree?” It seemed like a reasonable question.
“We’re going to make it a money tree.”
“Like as in cash, hanging on a dead tree?”
“No, silly. We’re going to paint it.”
We sprayed and sprayed white latex paint until the tree was totally covered, and our trigger fingers were numb. Then, we applied tiny pink, green, and yellow clothespins to the limbs.
It was a smashing success at the party – covered with small cards and gifts just for the new mama and baby to come.
There’s more.
Kerri stashed the money tree in a storage closet with no windows and hid it behind Christmas decorations.
Months later, I got a frantic call from my friend. “Laurel – get over here. Now. You have to see something.”
I rubbed my eyes.
She’d pulled the tree out of the closet. It had green buds on the limbs.
Not to be a doubter, Kerri had the tree planted on one side of the church lawn.
It grew. Like a lot. Now, it’s a thriving oak tree offering beauty and shade.
It’s still reminding us that even though hope might seem stuck in a closet without sunshine, it’s growing, anyway.
Guideposts published this story in Mysterious Ways in 2015. So, whether or not you believe me, believe this.
Every movement forward into your dreams matters. You may not see the growth yet, but you will. A sentence becomes a paragraph; a brushstroke joins others to create a masterpiece…
I’m here for hope and still cheering you on!
Laurel
Write Your Heart Out
If you enjoyed this post from Laurel, check out her further work at www.writewithlaurel.com, or visit her on Facebook at Laurel A. Thomas!
About Laurel Thomas
“A former high school English teacher, Laurel loves words and their power to convey remarkable stories.
“She’s written for inspirational magazines including Guideposts and Mysterious Ways, as well as ghosted nonfiction. Her novel ”River’s Call” was published by Wild Rose Press and boasts five-star reviews on Amazon!” – Write Your Heart Out!
Laurel hosts a free weekly writers round table and has critique group and one-on-one options if you want to go deeper!
You can meet her at www.writewithlaurel.com!
