Never Give Up

Almost 18 years ago, our Family Changed, we went from 2 kids to 3 and decided to build a house.  As a house warming gift, my parents gave us a gift certificate for $75 dollars to a local nursery.  I really wanted a tree!  It was quite a wake-up call, when we built this house, to realize that we had to also buy dirt and grass.  So, I went into the nursery to buy a tree.  As I browsed the nursery, I realized that it was going to be a very small tree, if I could find one in my budget.  I asked an employee and he brought out a somewhat brown tree, in a dirty pot, that stood about 6 inches in height.  He told me that it was sick, but if I could nurse it back to health, it would be a fabulous shade tree.   So, I brought home my new tree and carefully planted it in just the right spot.  Then, for the next few months, I watered it as instructed, everyday.  The following summer, it stood about 12 inches tall.  One night, we returned from a family vacation, and in shock, realized our tree had been cut off clear to the ground.  I was devastated!!  "How could this happen after all my hard work?"  Within the next few days, a friend brought over their father who really knew trees!!!  He opened the top of the trunk, which was now, ground level, and directly on the trunk put a little of this and little of that.  Again, I spent the next year watering and caring for this tree.  At the end of the following year,  the tree had grown to about 12 inches high and it had one leaf on the top--- it looked just like a birthday candle!!  The tree kept growing, against all odds, into an amazing centerpiece for our front yard.  This tree, that once had little hope, has since gone on to provide shade for summer stories and picnics, a place of rest and relaxation for a neighborhood friend dying of cancer, a place for family pictures.  And, a place for fun and games.  We moved from that house about 6 years ago.   It is located just across from the church we attend.  One day, soon after my husband left, I was coming out of the church parking lot, feeling pretty down and discouraged.  That tree stood before me, full of healthy leaves, tall and strong!  I was touched by it's beauty----and inside I could hear the words loud and clear, "NEVER GIVE UP!"  I realized, at that moment, that with lots of tender loving care, my family would not only make it----- but go on to touch lives, against all odds.  I realized that it would take a lot of hard work and tender loving care.  I was SO thankful for this divine message.  I also realized, that if He can part the Red Sea, He can work miracles in me!!!!  There have been many times since, as I have embarked on this journey of single parenthood, that I have wanted to throw in the towel.   Many days of school that seem just too hard.  Long nights that just get longer.  A "To-Do List" that is never done.  Then, I will head down the road to run this or that errand.  There, I will see my tree, and those words loud and clear--- as if they have been embedded in its' trunk,"NEVER GIVE UP!"