It broke my heart. I couldn’t imagine the old tree was dead.

This wasn’t just any old tree. It was a large Maple that stood about 40 feet across from my grandparent’s carport. Except for the last ten years, I had seen that tree almost every day of my life.

I didn’t realize how much that tree meant to me until my mom told me a blight had gotten it and it had died. The next time I drove by my grandparents’ house, I looked at what was left of it. Instead of a tree that stood tall with thick with branches and leaves, I saw a barren trunk sticking out of the ground. No foliage at all.

I felt like a piece of childhood and family history was gone.

As a child, I spent countless carefree days playing under its long strong branches. There were patches of dirt underneath it. I imagined the patches were rooms in my house. I would use my papaw’s rake and pretend I was vacuuming. By the way, that was the only time I enjoyed vacuuming.

I also loved to find buried treasure under the tree. Actually, the treasure was rocks I had previously buried. I didn't just use any rocks. I picked up the prettiest and most usual rocks out of the driveway. I even left clues for myself so I could follow my treasure map.

Even after I out grew playing, I still found comfort just standing under it. I remember one time I was visiting my grandparents when the power went out. It was a hot summer day, so Mamaw Jo and I took lawn chairs and sat in the shade underneath the maple tree.

I was amazed at how many people tooted and waved as they drove by us. Some of them we didn’t even know. As for the ones we did know, several of them either stopped on the road and talked to us or pulled into the driveway and talked. It made for a pleasant afternoon.

Now, that tree is gone.

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18 (KJV)

There’s a reason we’re not to put too much emphasis into the things on this side of Heaven. They don’t last forever, but your soul will. Do you know where it’s going to spend forever?

Amazingly, the old maple tree wasn’t dead after all. What was left of it sprouted leaves last spring. I know it will never be what it once was, but it was nice to see it was still alive. Hopefully, one day another child will play under it what’s left of it. Wouldn’t it be funny if he or she dug up a bunch of pretty buried rocks?