Little Apple Tree in Winter

A short post about having faith in better times

Little Apple Tree was bare and broken.

She had been twisted out of shape by the high winds of autumn. They had taunted her with their ghoulish howls, stripped her of the remaining leaves that had clothed and warmed her.

Little Apple Tree had even experienced parts of herself snap off in the harsh winter conditions that followed.

And still, Jack Frost came along every morning with his unforgiving pen of ice to scribble blue shivers deep into her bark.

She had nothing left.

“I don’t know how I do this. Go forward,…”

She whimpered to Big Apple Tree, turning her feeble, battered frame to the view across the valley.

“I mean, look at the fir trees over there….they have it good all year round!”

She said in envy of their lush green.

“No point comparing yourself to fir trees when you were born an apple tree. It always seems as though others have it better, but they’ve never seen the joy on a child’s face as he takes a bite from something they’ve grown…..because let’s face it,  no-one eats pinecones!”

Little Apple Tree searched her roots for a shy treeish smile.

“And besides…..”

Big Apple Tree whispered.

“They have other concerns you don’t have to consider - every Christmas they face the fear of an axe that may chop open their trunk and have them end up DEAD ….inside a HOUSE.”

Yikes!

Little Apple Tree shuddered at the very prospect.

“Yes…..I suppose we all face our problems……and some much greater than my own….but that doesn’t help me right now.  I’m so worn out. What keeps you going Big Apple Tree?”

“Well, we’re here to learn, and our life lesson is to learn how to bend. And not only that, but us apple trees must bend when our arms are more burdened than most. Our fruit gets so plentiful and heavy we fear we cannot carry it.  And the older we get, the more fruit we make for ourselves to hold.”

Little Apple Tree rustled uncomfortably at the thought of her skinny branches weighed down with more apples than she could possibly take. Of breaking again.

“You’re not helping! What if I drop one?”

The breeze allowed Big Apple Tree to lean in.

“Oh! But you WILL! In fact, you will drop several. But it’s okay to drop some apples along the way. And yes, you will snap again. It will hurt but you will heal and become stronger, grow new parts of you that reach out to different places. Each break will prepare you to touch new levels of sky.”

Little Apple Tree felt a mild surge of energy, and noticed tiny green bumps forming on her dead looking branches.  The sun began to cast gold upon her bark. It felt like sparkly ripples tickling her limbs.

Big Apple Tree had seen this many times before.

“And there’s something else”

He said, sensing her tingles .

“What’s that?”

“Spring wouldn’t feel half as magical when it arrives if we didn’t first endure Autumn and Winter.”