T e a r s   F o r   A   F a l l e n   L e a f

There was a chill in the air early that October morning as I took my little daughter to her kindergarten class. As usual, when we arrived, her teacher was at the gate to the playground to meet us and exchange greetings and points of interest for the day. Children were already in the activity area playing in the piles of colorful leaves the wind had piled up next to the fence during the night. Some children were diving in and then tossing the leaves high in the air and letting them rain down upon themselves and the other children. I expected my little daughter to join in the play as usual, but not this morning. She walked very slowly over to a big sycamore tree, turned and waved good-by. I waved and blew her a kiss, as I always did and drove off. There was always sadness or a heavy feeling each time I left her. Even though I knew she was in the hands of caring people, I always drove off heavy-hearted wishing things could be more normal in our lives.

That afternoon after a long, hard day at the hospital, I looked forward to our little reunion and going home for some quality time together. This day though, her teacher met me and asked to see me in her classroom. This was not unusual since I was a concerned, single parent and needed to know how she was doing each week. The teacher seemed puzzled at the change that had come over her little student that day. She talked about a sadness that had come over her upon entering the playground that morning.

The teacher closely observed how she knelt down by a big sycamore tree and leaned back against it. She had a large, yellow and brown leaf in her hand. With tears in her eyes she looked up at her caring teacher who was wondering what had happened. Why was she so sad? Caressing the leaf very gently with her tiny hands she said it had lost its mommy and was dying. Where did she get such deep thoughts at her age? I'm not sure. Somehow, I felt she associated the leaf as being the child of the tree. I'm sure it was because of our family situation that made her so sensitive to a loss of any kind. Since that time I have always been more aware of the connections that children make with nature and the wisdom of their thoughts. Since that day I will never think of a tree the same way.

I have not or will not cut down a tree just to gain a better view or because I'm tired of raking leaves. A tree represents a mother to all nature who gives life in so many ways. It provides a loving place for birds and their homes. It gives us pure oxygen and filters the air we breathe. Trees cover the bare ground like a blanket providing cool shade in the heat of the day. Trees growing along a riverbank are protecting the soil and keep the water pure and cool for fish and other water life. Eventually this water will be our drinking water. Trees put tons of water back into the air each day so we will have rain. Each time a tree is cut down needlessly or just for convenience to save time for construction, our quality of life is made a little less pure. Acres of grassy, green lawns are attractive but cannot provide the necessities in our lives that trees can.

We are not the only generation of people that have abused nature. Down through the ages mankind has taken and not given back. I was reading this week about Solomon's Temple and his palaces and all the timber it took to build them. He had to import trees from other lands with the help of other nations. Now where those trees once grew, there is nothing but rocky, dry, barren land. There are no more beautiful cedar forests in Lebanon like there were during Solomon's time. What few trees remain is protected as a national treasure.

Many of us who love trees and try to protect them are affectionately called tree huggers. I am proud to be one and will always speak up for tree preservation. Every time I canoe down a stream and am blessed with the sight of beautiful branches over hanging the water I thank our Creator for such a wondrous, living thing. Remember that on the third day of Creation all plants, including trees of all kinds were made. Why do you think plants were made before man or other animals? It reasons that all other life on Earth depends on plants. Let us all learn more about these beautiful masterpieces called trees, and how we can enjoy them the way our Creator intended. .

Burney Tompkins

    - Uncle Burney