Like a doctor removing something important,
Herb Collins gently peeled the wrapper back from the root
ball and tenderly
placed the baby tree in the hole. Then he stood and walked
around it to see
which way he should align it. Actually, looks pretty good
just the way it is.
So he
took his bucket of mixed sand and compost and began
sprinkling it down onto the
roots and then packing it in gently with his fist.
Every few minutes
he’d stop and read the
directions again. When he ordered the tree, the nurseryman
had written back
“Are you sure?” Well, that made ol’ Herb laugh. Yes, he was
sure. He’s always
sure this time of year.
He was still
chuckling to himself when Janice
Thomas walked along the sidewalk.
“Hi Herb,” said
the high school art teacher.
“What is it this year?”
“Papaya, Janice.
Nice healthy one, don’t you
think?”
Janice took a
close look at the little dark
green tree.
Papaya.
“Isn’t that a
tropical tree?”
“Sure is,” he
said, tucking more dirt around
the roots. “I have to read the instructions carefully to get
this right.”
Janice thought
carefully before speaking.
“Papayas sure taste good, Herb.”
“Sure do. Wouldn’t
it be nice if this lives
long enough to produce fruit?”
“But you’re not
expecting …”
“Of course not.
The first nippy day in autumn
will turn this little guy belly up.”
He looked up and
smiled at Janice’s
consternation.
“You know that
banana tree almost made it to
Christmas last year. That was my best so far. We’ll see how
this little guy
makes out.”
Each year Herb
plants something in the front
yard that has no chance at all of being there the following
spring. He’s done
it for years. It gives the neighborhood something to look at
and talk about,
and it’s fun.
“You know, Herb,
if you’re looking for fruit,
a cherry tree will produce …”
“I’m not looking
for fruit, Janice,” he said,
gently. “I’m looking for glory. Glory!”
He laughed.
“Where’s the glory in planting
something that will grow here? Anyone can do that. But a
papaya? Ha! There’s
glory in that.”
------------------
Brought
to
you by yourself … and me, as we take off our hats to the
brave men and women
of our medical and emergency services. Thank you.