thin dying tree

The path ahead seems a little bit tough. Rocky roads and a slight incline had caused her to panic a little and the desire to turn back to the comfort of a warm bed and a hot shower began to show itself, even though ever so slightly. Apprehensive because the road seems long. The doubt of whether or not she was able begun to creep up and the flesh that is so quick to feel pain stopped.

She looks around and although she feels a tug at her thighs and was convinced she was walking on an incline there are no hills in sight. They were right, the paths are straight and flat. Her flesh tells her differently. Very differently.

There is a slight awareness of the nothingness around her. She has been so used to the fullness of everything around her that the sporadic spaced felt like a vast emptiness and it causes her to feel a slight uneasiness. The uneasiness creeps up and her mind gives in to the possibility that she may have been at that same dark place. Her perceptions warps and began to agree with this slight quiver within her mind. Her emotions well up as they begin to react by bubbling fear and doubt in the big melting pot.

She closes her eyes and turns her face upward so she could see some light. She tried to recall the comforting words He had said to her. The melting pot sizzles and she takes a deep breath. She rationalises that there is no point panicking. After all she's already here and He had said it'll be alright. She inches forward slowly shaking off the fear and doubts within her. Opening her eyes she sees that the darkness has lifted and it was morning.

The paths are straight before her and she could see for miles. Miles of dry parched land rolls before her. Evenly spaced throughout the broken land are wells surrounded by a small patch of healthy trees. The healthy trees were thin in numbers and the land is vastly dotted by a majority of dying trees. It is as if the sparsely grown trees are without the ability to root in and to drink from the well. Thin dying trees.

She walks forward and stops to touch a tree. The tree before her is quite a pretty sight. It is a frail tree it is pretty. Its leaves were glossy, its trunk polished and its fruits were big and shiny. She runs her hands down the trunk. She reached to grab a fruit and she pulls down a branch. The frail branch breaks at her touch. She pulls off the fruit on its end and takes a bite. The flesh of the fruit was dry and powdery, dry and it crumbles in her hands. Throwing the fruit down she leaned upon the tree. She hears a crack and immediately stands straight again. Looking down she sees the crack on the trunk of the tree. It is hollow and struggling to stand. She bends down to nurse the cracks and notices its roots just above the soil. Tangled roots that were unable to grow down deep, to obtain drink to nourish itself. In its search for water it had tangled up itself. The tree was dying. Thin dying tree.

Quite a sense wells up within her. A sense of sadness. Love for the tree wells up within her. Something foreign. Tears begin to well up in her eyes as she runs her fingers down the tangled roots. The tree is dying. The warm touch of a hand on her right shoulder brought her to the attention that there is someone else there. She turns ans see Him standing. He bends down and carefully untangles each root. She watches intently. He hands her a bucket and points to the closest well so she sets down her backpack and runs to the well. She fills the bucket and carefully carries it back to the tree. At His direction she pours the water down slowly around the roots. He continues to gently untangle the roots as she fills the bucket again. He carefully cuts off the dead roots and with His skillful hands He digs a deep hole in the soil. He whispers to her as she places the bucket down and she carefully held the tree as they place it once again upright in the ground. She held the tree straight as His strong hands directs the roots and plants it straight and downwards towards the source of water He knows is underground. He surely and securely covers the roots with soil and together they water the ground surrounding the tree.

They stay beneath the tree and laugh and eat together. They sing songs as they continuously prune and water the dear tree. They nurse the cracks in the trunks and comfort the tree. The tree one day broke into a smile and she looks up at Him and smiled. He puts His hands around her and gives her a tight hug. Then He places His hand firmly around her shoulders and nudges her forward. She moves forward surely secure in His arms. He stops and looks at her as He smiles.

The tree standing before them was quite a grand tree...