In one of our recent storms this summer, about a third of a lovely Bradford pear tree in our backyard came crashing down, landing on the fence. The bulk of the branches hovered over into our neighbor’s yard. At the time it happened, I was upstairs watching the storm with an art student while teaching. It looked ominous outside, with thunder and lightning and some fierce wind gusts. But all seemed well 
until I looked out five minutes later and saw the tree on the fence!
Hoping to save the fence and our neighbor’s garden from further damage, and not wanting to wait until 8 o’clock when my husband would be home, I headed out after the class was over with a hand saw and some clippers to see what I could do. The main trunk with all the branches attached was way too heavy to pull back off the fence. Besides, a large branch was jammed into the metal pickets. Pulling it out or back required tremendous strength or a different plan of attack. So I chose to attack it one branch at a time to get as much weight off the tree and fence as possible.
Once the load got lighter, the tree’s weight started shifting it to a different place. I was able to pull the tree further back off the fence and kept removing more of the smaller branches till enough weight was lifted to pull the tree almost totally off the fence. I continued to cut off all I
was able to, before it got dark and I thought things were pretty much under control.
The next morning I had my husband help me take care of removing the rest, since I needed his muscle power to lift it up off the fence and pull it back at the same time. Although the fence will never be the same, with its dent and sag, I was happy that only a part of the tree had fallen. I was relieved that it had not damaged anyone else’s house or the wooden fence on our other neighbor’s side, which would have been totally shattered. Even through the aggravation, there were blessings to perceive.
Sometimes the storms of life have a way of changing things too. Once a familiar part of your life is suddenly gone, your perspective will never be the same. You have choices. You can bemoan the fact it’s gone and keep complaining about something that can’t be changed. Or you can accept what’s happened, work quickly to prevent further damage by addressing the problem im
mediately, and count all the blessings that you received. Your blessings could include the damage and far-reaching repercussions that were NOT done and things that you were spared from. They could also include the whole new horizon you have, or the fact that dangerous or unproductive things were removed from your life.
As it turned out, we found out how soft the wood is from this type of tree. With the height it had grown, it was the best time to get rid of the whole tree, as it was now too precariously
balanced and could cause worse problems if left to its own. So we had the tree removed. What a difference it makes in our garden now! There is lots of light and we’ve had a banner crop of tomatoes because of it! (I know you know that, if you read my blog last week!) Even the light coming in the master bath upstairs is so much greater now! So I have a sunnier disposition to start off my day!
I hope my story helps you to face the storms that will inevitably come in your life. I encourage you to look for the blessings and the sun hiding behind a seemingly bad mishap. Do what you can to salvage the things you should, but let go of the rest and claim the blessings of a different perspective afterwards!
until I looked out five minutes later and saw the tree on the fence!Hoping to save the fence and our neighbor’s garden from further damage, and not wanting to wait until 8 o’clock when my husband would be home, I headed out after the class was over with a hand saw and some clippers to see what I could do. The main trunk with all the branches attached was way too heavy to pull back off the fence. Besides, a large branch was jammed into the metal pickets. Pulling it out or back required tremendous strength or a different plan of attack. So I chose to attack it one branch at a time to get as much weight off the tree and fence as possible.
Once the load got lighter, the tree’s weight started shifting it to a different place. I was able to pull the tree further back off the fence and kept removing more of the smaller branches till enough weight was lifted to pull the tree almost totally off the fence. I continued to cut off all I
was able to, before it got dark and I thought things were pretty much under control.The next morning I had my husband help me take care of removing the rest, since I needed his muscle power to lift it up off the fence and pull it back at the same time. Although the fence will never be the same, with its dent and sag, I was happy that only a part of the tree had fallen. I was relieved that it had not damaged anyone else’s house or the wooden fence on our other neighbor’s side, which would have been totally shattered. Even through the aggravation, there were blessings to perceive.
Sometimes the storms of life have a way of changing things too. Once a familiar part of your life is suddenly gone, your perspective will never be the same. You have choices. You can bemoan the fact it’s gone and keep complaining about something that can’t be changed. Or you can accept what’s happened, work quickly to prevent further damage by addressing the problem im
mediately, and count all the blessings that you received. Your blessings could include the damage and far-reaching repercussions that were NOT done and things that you were spared from. They could also include the whole new horizon you have, or the fact that dangerous or unproductive things were removed from your life.As it turned out, we found out how soft the wood is from this type of tree. With the height it had grown, it was the best time to get rid of the whole tree, as it was now too precariously
balanced and could cause worse problems if left to its own. So we had the tree removed. What a difference it makes in our garden now! There is lots of light and we’ve had a banner crop of tomatoes because of it! (I know you know that, if you read my blog last week!) Even the light coming in the master bath upstairs is so much greater now! So I have a sunnier disposition to start off my day!I hope my story helps you to face the storms that will inevitably come in your life. I encourage you to look for the blessings and the sun hiding behind a seemingly bad mishap. Do what you can to salvage the things you should, but let go of the rest and claim the blessings of a different perspective afterwards!
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