The storms kept me from walking today, but when the rain changed to drizzle I ran out for some much-needed errands. I was not surprised to see so many saplings bending precariously. There were crews out in my neighborhood and on the main street clearing downed trees and restaking the new ones.

Many years ago I did a story about “The Young Sapling” in my Handmaiden issue on The Garden. You might want to stop and read the story and then return.

One thing I noticed today is that most of the trees had the traditional 2 stakes and bands, but in some cases either one or both of the stakes had come out of the ground. The saplings were bending precariously in the wind. On my way back from my errands, I noted that the crews had re-staked and added a third stake in some areas with an additional band around all three stakes.

Meaning
A young child (sapling) needs both mother and father. If the parents (stakes) are grounded (rooted deep enough), then even in strong winds (trials), the parents can hold on and the child (sapling) will remain erect. Sadly in this day and age, sometimes one of the parents is not as strong. Our Father longs to restore and heal our families. When we turn to Him, He joins with us in our effort to be strong, courageous and erect in the face of our trials. The new, third band isn’t just Mom and Dad’s love… it’s DIVINE Grace, Love and Restoration!

One other observation… I also saw the crews attaching a cable to some of the mature trees. To me this shows that sometimes strong intervention is needed. Perhaps it’s like tough love?