Trees

In the spring time, my thoughts turn to trees.  I love trees. When they first start blooming, I am spell bound at the wonderful contrast of colors.

My father loved trees too and would try to capture the personality of trees in sketches.  He was unlearned as far and instruction in drawing goes, but he would really try.  Unfortunately, I only have pictures of his works, because my mother gave away all his pictures to my cousins.  An interesting note was his favorite time to draw a tree was after it had dropped it's leaves, when you could best see it's twists and turns. The picture in the upper left had corner, that you can barely see was typical of his drawings. (If you click on the picture it will be larger for viewing)

I worked for a nursery and the emphasis there was to have straight and true trunks.

I had a hard time, for I love crooked trees and trees that have survived the storms that have battered it.  They have character and form.  They are a testimony that one can survive and fulfill the full measure of your being even with adversity.

This is how I view much of family history.  The tree sometimes looks perfect with all the blanks filled in on paper, but when you delve into the lives of the names, you are filled with awe at the courage, faith, strength, and character you find there.  They had to finish without a body part sometimes like my father and grandfather, or lift up their hands to find a better place to look forward to like the Hero's uncle who struggled with Lou Gehrig's disease, or persevere in spite of  overwhelming odds to raise children without a husband like my grandmother did with 8 children.  Knowing their stories, helps when looking at the challenges in life.  Some times you think, how did they do that.  Other times, it is, I can't possibly have anything to complain about, they had it much worse.  Life is wonderful, full of twists and turns that fills us with character, much like my wonderful trees.