In Need of Miracle Grow

I never realized how fond I am of trees until we suddenly don't have any.

Growing up in a small town in Southeast, Texas, trees were as plentiful as shopping is here in DFW. And I'm not talking about feathery little willows that try and pass themselves off as trees, either. We had massive Oaks and Pines that flavored the aroma of our backyard.

Some of mine and Challi's favorite childhood memories revolve around the leaf houses we built with simple pine needles and our vivid imaginations. We would painstakingly arrange the outline of a house and play in each room for hours on end.

OK-I already mentioned it was a small town, folks, so give us a break, already:)

As much as I love our new home, I'm not fond of the strange thinking that modern day builders seem to have. Cut everything down to squeeze as many properties as humanly possible into one spot. Even though we were fortunate enough to build on some land (or at least what city folk would think of as wide open space), I miss the beauty of trees and the serenity they bring.

So you can imagine my delight when Chris and Park came home with a truck full of special leafy surprises. They worked all day on planting these treasures and wouldn't let me outside until the final digging was done. At one point, Park ventured into the house for lunch, and I asked him if I could come outside yet.

"No, Mommy, not ready yet. Just the boys," he informed me.

After much anticipation, here is the first one I saw upon stepping foot out the back door:

Not exactly what I had in mind.

Thankfully many of the other trees were a little bigger and somewhat more impressive, but let's just say Park might be a Grandpa by the time he can build a leaf house.

However, what might rank among his favorite childhood memories are the hours spent working in the backyard that special afternoon, while sharing in the company of his beloved Daddy.

Upon changing my initial reaction to these leafy impostors, the beauty of our tiny trees begins to loom large as I think of them growing alongside my precious son. Just as they will develop and mature, Park will also grow and change during the years that we call this house our home.

With a little pruning, lots of love, and devoted attention, these trees will someday become something that God, Chris and I are proud to call our own. It is our prayer that Park will continue to do the same.

And suddenly, I'm in no hurry for our trees to grow up, at all.