I am inspired by the crab apple tree in the front yard. Each spring it is the centerpiece of our “estate” with white flowers all over. That lasts about a week, then it goes to work producing fruit. While some falls to the ground, a large amount stays on the tree well in to winter. By some unknown clock, birds descend upon the tree in February and eat the majority of what’s left. Perhaps it’s fermented and they need a little birdie-buzz?
The inspirational part is the tough times that tree has had. When it was still fairly young, something ate most of the bark at the base of the tree. (Without bark, the nutrients cannot get back and forth between the roots and branches.) The tree held on and eventually healed.
This past summer, we had a severe hail storm that wiped out most of the leaves on the tree. A few weeks later, that tree started shooting out new leaves and even blossoms – never before seen after the spring bloom! How could I tell they were new leaves? The old ones turn dark green, have spots on them, and many even fall off in the effort to pass on the energy to the new apples. New leaves look lighter green and fresh.
So here we are in October. Frost is occasionally on the roofs and lawn in the morning. The ripe, red, dime size apples are starting to fall from the tree, but it continues to produce a blossom here and there. It continues to put its best effort to continuing on even after devastation. It continues to put a positive spin to a difficult situation. It perseveres.
How about you?
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