Growing Strong

Our little third grader came home from school one day with what could only with great charity and imagination be called a tree. In reality, it was a single stick in a plastic pot with some dirt. I was skeptical, but she insisted that we plant it in the backyard because she was convinced that it would grow. Not one to disappoint a nine-year-old, we dug a small hole and put the stick in the ground in a location where she could easily water it. I thought that she would either forget about it or that this would be a good life lesson in how things don’t always turn out the way you want.

Fast forward close to twenty years and that little girl is a beautiful, fully grown woman who works as a psychologist in public schools helping third graders navigate life. She is their advocate and has dedicated her life to making the world a better place. This requires great strength and resilience while also being flexible enough to roll with the punches and deal with the inevitable setbacks and roadblocks that come with the territory in public education. That little girl with the conviction that she could make that stick grow into a tree is now nurturing other children to help them grow strong.

We are preparing to sell the house where we planted that tree. It was our home for twenty-three years and it contains so many happy memories. I took a picture of that tree the other day and it is tall, strong, and beautiful. Turns out that it is a Chinese Pistache, otherwise known as “The Ugly Duckling Tree.” They are unattractive and misshapen when young but mature into magnificent specimens. The pistache is a tough tree that can withstand harsh conditions. How fitting is it that the little girl who planted that tree with such hope is still out there nurturing little sticks that will someday become magnificent specimens just like her?