The Tree is written and illustrated by my imaginative and creative friend, Stella. Stella is a 12 year old beloved child of God who thinks and feels deeply. She is not only a good communicator, but she is able to expresses herself artisticly in drawing, as well as the written word. I am so happy to share this piece of her work with you!
The tree is unlike any other tree. Gracefully bent, helping all of the others by catching their fallen leaves and giving them someone to look down on in their straight and perfect form. All of them seem to be perfect- taller, straighter, fuller, and more beautiful than this tree. She is bent and withered. Wrapped in vines and full of knots and discolored leaves. Another tree is behind her. Short, but still straight. The tree that has lived unlike the others is prepared to help the little one. It is her responsibility – and she is used to it.
She is hidden in a crowd – but colorful and unique. Her job is to assist. Her arguments never to be won; lives to be wrong and left in a shadow. Her beauty and imperfections are looked down upon compared to that of the straighter, taller, plainer trees.
Unappreciated and unknown.
By others…
But mostly by herself.
She notices the flaws and imperfections and hates them. Her branches and leaves weep and bend in sorrow and she lives in despair…
Until the painter comes along.
The painter sees her.
The painter ignores all the flaws as imperfections and sees them as tools. The knots are good for climbing, the branches bent to suit a small girl. The vines prepared to bear beautiful blossoms. The leaves are as colorful as a rainbow drawn by a child.
She wishes to be noticed like this. Always appreciated.
But for now she’ll wait.
Until she grows…
Into the tree…
That all the others are.
Except when she does…
She’ll be more beautiful.
More graceful.
More than all the others.
Walk the Upward Path 