Goodbye Tree

 

Goodbye Tree

My neighborhood was built up fifty years ago on what was then an apple orchard. Houses were constructed, gardens were planned, people moved in. Maple and oak trees were planted on the grass at the curb in front of each house. Everything looked fresh and growing. We moved in years later, delighted by all that we saw.

But things move on. The trees grew tall and broad and provided the streets with welcome shade on hot summer days. Sometimes, though, their roots pulled up the sidewalk cement. Sometimes their branches rose high up to the wires that provided the houses with electricity. Recently, a crew was out sawing away at one of the mature trees. When the work was finished,  the thick branches and sawed trunk lay on the street, a reminder of how big the tree had grown.  

It was sad. I thanked the tree for sharing its life within our community for so long. Then looking beyond, I could see that new trees, self-planted, were rising down the block. It was a reminder that even though there are challenges, life can be resilient.