My "Y" Tree

Today I looked out my back door and saw my favorite tree on our property.  I want to share a story about that tree.  The tree I affectionately named my "Y" tree when we purchased this property, and there beside it stands my husband's favorite tree, a big, strong cedar tree.

My "Y" tree, after Hurricane Katrina was stripped of its branches and leaves and there only stood the remains of the tall tree in the shape of a Y.  What was left of my very favorite tree was a sad, sad reminder of the hurricane that had ripped away the beauty I saw in it to begin with.   I had dreams of my boys playing under the shade it provided and maybe a cute little bench under it to sit on when the weather was nice.  

BUT, my poor tree looked alone and bare and so different than it had looked before the hurricane.  There would be no shade to sit under, and there wouldn't be 2 boys to play under it.

{A little background for those that don't know the back story to our journey...  July 2, 2005, our baby boy passed away, due to serious complications, I remained in the hospital for 2 weeks after that, and we would bury our son on July 23, 2005.  August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina claimed my business and my husband's business, and changed our lives even more, if that was possible.  We were building a home when the hurricane came, and God spared our new home.  We have 3 acres and lost some trees, but our new home was safe, unfinished, but we still had a home, and an ugly tree.}

Now back to story...

I remember being on the back porch some time after the hurricane and looking to see my tree... my beautiful "Y" tree had now been renamed my ugly 'WHY?' tree!  I would stare at it and remember what it was... and would see what it had now become.  Metaphorically, it  was like looking in the mirror and seeing my image in that tree.  I hated what I had become... I was no longer able to do 'my job' because our storm stripped me of  life as I knew it.  I was so different, inside and out.  

I may have had a few "Why's" before 'our storm' but they weren't visible or always on my mind and heart... but after our storm, ohmygoodness, WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?  

When the tree was stripped, it was rugged and kind of scary to me, because we weren't really sure just how damaged the tree was.  Would the tree live through aftermath of the storm?  Would it be able to sustain the winds of another storm?  The cedar tree beside it was as strong as ever, almost intimidating what I once called my Y tree.  I related that to my own life as well... often intimidated by 'women' that could live life as a 'normal' woman, could carry a child, could work, and so on.  Or simply could go through the day unaffected by the wind or rain.  

My tree lived through the storm... it stayed ugly just long enough for me to start seeing the beauty in it... the beauty of life coming back into it...  it had SURVIVED.  Once again, a mirror image of my own self.

So, today, when I looked at the WHY tree... all I could see was  "Y!"  

It has taken it some years to grow, but friends, it is growing! And it is alive!  It went through a heck of a storm... and survived!  Other storms have come and gone, and there it is, remaining tall and strong ~ must have good roots planted in that soil!  God does that for us!  It is so important to be rooted in faith! 

We all have storms, some so severe it feels like we are never going to live through it.  I know, I have been there.  I lived through it!  and I survived! 

You can too!  

Love and much hope to everyone of you today!