Falling Trees


So we were at this little park today - lots of trees, right on the river, and nice wide sidewalks - perfect for riding bikes. When we walked up, we saw a tree had fallen over part of the path - thought nothing of it. Later, after walking out to the river and heading back for a snack, Elissa, Kali and Carl got ahead of me. I look up through some trees and see that Elissa has gotten off her bike. She walks over to the fallen tree, gets on her knees, bows her head and brings her hands together in prayer. I stop because I didn't want to distract her. Later, we asked her what she was praying for. Her answer? The tree that was dead. Before we left, she and Kali both picked out a stick from the tree to take home - their version of a "memory stick."

This is the same girl who, last summer at my sister's house, was not digging a hole in the ground, but building a mountain all the way to heaven to see her great aunt Jeannie.