November 21 – “Sycamores”

This morning it was cold and wet.  Not really raining.  Just wet.  And this morning was when we had to stand in line for thirty minutes.  Outside.  Where it was cold and wet.    Three groups got together and sent Galveston two thousand trees.  I think one of them was Randalls.  Anyway,  the city set up shop behind City Hall and gave them away.  All you had to do to get two trees was show proof that you lived in Gaveston – a drivers' license or a utility bill.  Well, you also had to sign a little thing that said you would plant them on the island.  And you had to tell them where on the island they would be so the Island Tree Gestapo can come by and check up on you.    They had five or six different types of tree to choose from.  At least they did when the give-away began.  It was supposed to begin at 9 a.m.  We arrived at ten minutes to nine.  And the line was wrapped half way around the block.  They had started at 8 a.m. because there were people already lined up.  The girl scouts were giving away mulch and little bitty cuttings of magnolia trees.  Volunteers were everywhere to help you  decide which tree would be best for you.   We picked two sycamores.  We had several reasons for it.  Chris wanted a tree that would get really big and one that would grow really fast.  She even did internet research to help with her decision making process.  She had narrowed it down and decided on a Sycamore and a white oak.  But when we got to the lot, there were no more white oaks.  That meant she would have to look at all the trees again and decide on her second choice.   My decision was easier.  And a lot simpler.  I wanted sycamores.  I had two reasons.  First, the house we lived in when I was born had a sycamore tree in the front.  I remember it being huge.  No, beyond huge.  It was gigantic.  The leaves were big and it had these little round balls that were seeds.  We never climbed it.  It was too high to reach the first branch.  My second reason?  The most obvious one, of course.  I wanted a sycamore tree because we live on Sycamore Street.  And I don't think there were any sycamore trees on our street.  There are now.   Psalms 119:1 says, "Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord."   Father, I want to be blessed, but that's a lot of expectation.  Blameless.  Walking according to your law.  I want to.  Help.  Amen.