~ Story Of The
Pine Tree
Crosses ~
Papa was a quiet
man when I
finally met him
in 1987. He was
73 years old,
and I was lucky
to add him to my
family. He
stepped right
into my heart,
filling the
space left
behind by my
grandfathers.
Papa had grown
up in a little
town in
northeast
Florida, eldest
of 10 children.
He could do it
all and probably
had done it all
at some point in
his life.
Papa didn't talk
a lot, but when
he did speak, it
usually was a
story with some
weight to it. It
wasn't just an
old man rambling
on -- there was
a lesson to be
learned.
I would delight
in listening to
him tell me
stories about my
new husband --
stories of
George growing
up under his
wing. I loved to
hear the stories
about George as
a young boy
spending his
weekends in the
north Florida
woods hunting
with his Papa,
or at Papa's gas
station, or
helping in the
garden behind
Papa's house.
Papa was a
quiet, religious
man. He never
was one to
preach to
others. Two of
his brothers
were Pastors at
local churches
-- he left the
preaching to
them. The little
comments he made
and the stories
he told shed
some light into
his beliefs and
his love of God.
On April 8th, we
made a trip to
my parents'
house for my
father's
birthday
celebration. My
husband was
quietly driving
the family up
the Turnpike. I
was occupied in
the front
passenger seat
by a book, while
the kids were
being much too
quiet in the
back seat
engrossed with a
Gameboy and a
coloring book.
I noticed out of
the corner of my
eye that my
husband was
straining to
look out my
window. This
startled me,
since his eyes
should be on the
long road in
front of him. I
asked him what
he was looking
at out the
windows, and he
quietly replied,
"Nothing." His
eyes went back
to the road in
front of him.
After a few
minutes, I
looked over at
my husband and
noticed a tear
running down his
cheek. I asked
him what was
wrong. This time
he told me, "I
was just
thinking about
Papa and a story
he used to tell
me." Of course,
if it had to do
with Papa I
needed to know
the story, so I
asked him to
share it with
me.
He said, "When I
was about 3
years old, Papa
took me out in
the backyard and
told me that the
Pine trees know
when it is
Easter."
I had no idea
what he meant by
that, so I
pressed him for
more
information. He
continued on...
"The Pine trees
start their new
growth in the
weeks before
Easter -- if you
look at the tops
of the Pine
trees two weeks
before, you will
see the yellow
shoots. As the
days get closer
to Easter
Sunday, the
tallest shoot
will branch off
and form a
cross. By the
time Easter
Sunday comes
around, you will
see that most of
the Pine trees
will have small
yellow crosses
on the tallest
shoots."
I turned to look
out the window
and I couldn't
believe my eyes.
It was a week
before Easter,
and you could
see all the
trees with the
tall yellow
shoots
stretching to
Heaven.
The tallest ones
shone in the
sunlight like
rows of tiny
golden crosses.
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Author Unknown
Thanks Derry for
sharing!
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