What Happened on the First Day of Fall…

It was the first day of fall when they came to take the silver maple down.

I had loved that tree so much. So ingenious the way the previous owner had wrapped the deck around her sturdy trunk.

Shady deck 2

‘Our Shady Deck’ we used to call it. It was like being in a tree house. No one could see you. No one knew you were sitting up there except the birds.

And now she’s gone.

Just this morning I went out there to take one last look. One last photograph.

tree

And call me crazy, but I even put my hand on her strong trunk and apologized for what was about to happen. I prayed over that big stupid tree who was making me cry and thanked her for the shade she brought, and the squirrels she entertained, and the sheer beauty of her yellow and orange leaves in the fall.

And you can laugh, or snort, or scoff, but I wouldn’t be my dad’s daughter if I didn’t love all living things, and marvel at the beauty of every tree, and respect their place in God’s world.

I was there when they made the first cut, like a mother accompanying her child through surgery.  For three long hours, I endured the incessant whirring and grinding and sawing.

tree being cut

I saw every leaf flutter helplessly away; every branch plummet to the ground.

It’s eerily quiet now.  Even the birds are not singing. She’s gone.

And now when I look up, instead of her leaves, shimmering and dancing, I see blue, blue sky instead.

And what, you might say, could possibly be wrong with that?

tree cut down

4 thoughts on “What Happened on the First Day of Fall…

  1. Dorothy Smith

    Why was the tree taken down?
    The people here keep telling me my Japanese Maple will be removed.
    It will be a sad day – I would like part of it trimmed to let more sunshine in for my flowers the not taken down.

    Reply
    1. Glenys Post author

      Dorothy..it had started lifting up the planking on the deck and pushing the nails out of the railing. It was either the deck or the tree had to go…so sad 🙁 Hang on to your Japanese Maple!

      Reply

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