Roger would not at all have liked the chain saw activity around this place in the past months. I never really figured out if his aversion to taking down trees was the money involved or the love of the tree, but he had a tendency to deal with things when they were on the ground. Nice for a first responder, but way out of my personal comfort zone. Being the practical person that I am, when three experts advised me to leave the house if a storm came through, well....figure it out. You pay now, or you pay later.
It was hard for me to get a clear reading on what Roger would have done with this situation. I did not see cardinals or find any shield pennies, so I guess I know.
I do know that while I do not miss the squirrels, I certainly do miss the woodpeckers, various birds, owls, hawks, and even the occasional raccoon that lived in or at least visited this particular tree. It is so sad to see trees expire, but I guess like everything else, it is all in God's plan for each living thing. Dying - a part of living.
I watched as the woodpecker went about his business finding the bugs that gave him nourishment. I also thought about the times that we sat in a swing in this old tree - oh so many years ago before the swing's limb fell - and we watched birds and sang songs with the girls, and recited poems.
THE WOODPECKER
The Woodpecker pecked out a little round hole
And made him a home in a telephone pole
One day when I watched, he poked out his head
He had on a helmet and collar of red!
When the streams of rain pour out of the sky
And the sparkles of lightning go flashing by
And the great big sheets of thunder roll
He can snuggle right back in his telephone pole!
By Elizabeth Roberts
Of course, it has to be very sing-song-y and you have to act. it. out. One must also remember that while other woodpeckers have hoods, ours had helmets because they were firefighter woodpeckers and firefighters have helmets. (And yes, we had a telephone pole nearby!)
Oh, how I love to recall those days when the girls were small. I often wonder if we appreciated enough back then, the wonderful life we had here, out in the woods with our sand streets and abundance of trees. I can still feel the summer breezes and recall the mazes we used to rake with all of those freshly fallen oak leaves - zillions of them. How funny that I don't recall the mosquitos, though I bet there were plenty!
I hope memories remain like that. The good stuff of life. I am thankful that even though life was ordinary and of course at times, I guess it had to be tense, but I don't think of those things. How I wish it had always been only laughter, but you grow through those tough times. And you grow together because you get through things together. You don't give up.
Yes indeed, I am going to miss this old tree. But, I'll wait for the mulch to decay a bit so the soil will be enriched, and then I shall plant another - maybe even a few. And the birds will have homes, and other critters too. And I won't live to see it come to it's maturity, but that is life too.
Roger's Lesson: I guess he would say "Swing while you can, sweetie!" He would remind me to keep making the most of every moment, for dying is indeed a part of living, and you never know if you will die young or old, sickly or apparently healthy. Only God knows the number of your days.
Yes, Roger - and I ran across the same little reminder of the verse God gave me the night Papa left for Heaven ...."As for my God, His way is perfect." Psalm 18:31
And yes, His way is still perfect, even if I do not understand it. It goes on to say that His promises are tested and are true, and that He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
And here I will stay. I will take refuge in Him the same way that woodpecker took refuge in that old tree. The only difference is that God is not going to leave me. What a promise!
A sweet post that probes the heart of life - trusting our Lord in everything.
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