Fleeting and Full

September 11, 2018

Beloved:
             “I’d ballpark it between five and six,” the tree man said, “to take the whole thing down, cut it up and haul it all away.”
             “Thousand?” I said coolly, hoping to sound like I drop such money all the time.  In fact I nearly swooned.  But having done my research I think his price is fair.  The equipment required is expensive, and the work is highly skilled and dangerous.

             Turns out my ash tree isn’t special but just another victim in a scourge that begin in Michigan sixteen years ago.  A pretty little green bug apparently crossed the ocean hiding in a wooden Chinese shipping crate and her family migrated in every direction.  Emerald ash borer is her common name, and one clan can suck the life from a small elm in months, from a giant one like mine in three or four years.  They’ve killed tens of millions of trees in North America and Canada already, and they are found further  from Michigan all the time.

             I am both horrified and wildly impressed at the industry of such tiny creatures.  What they do with their jaws humans can only do with hard hats and rigging.  Oh, and saws.  Lots of very noisy saws!   There must be millions of bugs in my tree by now, chewing all the time.  I wonder what it sounds like to their little ears.  Do they have some tiny noise-cancelling earmuffs built into their tiny heads?  Of course I’ve never stood and listened to my tree.  Maybe it’s alive with sound to those with ears to hear.  My neighbors already think I’m crazy, so I might as well go take a listen.

             I can’t afford five thousand nor for the tree to fall on my house, so we agreed that he will take down one of the four giant trunks and let the rest fall into my yard and forest, tomorrow or next year.   Then the day will last a little longer, since the giant ash tree is to the west.  The sun sinks behind it for several minutes before touching the next treetop line.  I will miss her but I rather like knowing these are our last days together.  I’ll pay better attention to her now, I think, and be grateful that we were here at the same time.  All of life is so fleeting, isn’t it, and yet each moment is so full.  I pray the day is full of life and love for you today.

~peace & prayers,
pastor annette