The Tree
by debra edwards"They cried to you and were saved: they trusted and were not disappointed." Psm. 22:5
KABOOM !!! We both sat straight up in bed. It was three o'clock in the morning and on the startled awakening, I asked my husband, "Was that a bomb?" "No, I think a tree just fell on our house," he answered. We flung back the covers and both started surveying the house to access any damages. He, going one direction and I went another.
The electricity was still on, in spite of the cold, windy, mountain storm. All I could muster out of my mouth was this quick prayer; "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" Over and over in rapid repeats. "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!". It was the same immediate prayer I used the time I was driving on snow with solid ice below it and sliding down a mountain road uncontrollably towards a steep embankment. Overwhelming frightened with no thought as to how to get out of the situation, the truck suddenly stopped. A grateful, "Thank you Lord," was whispered as I jumped out to see what stopped me. Nothing. Not a dent, not a scratch, it just stopped. No explaination, it just stopped.
My "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus", prayer continued as each room was surveyed. A "praise the Lord, here", I would say. "Nothing wrong here," my husband would report. Each room after the other got it's "Praise the Lord, here too, " and "Everything looks good here." The kitchen is the farthest from our bedroom and between my prayer continuation and my gratefulness in not finding anything, in the other rooms, the kitchen was worrisome. It is full of windows and two etched, glass entry doors. We both got there together. "Nope, I don't see anything wrong here," my husband reported. Then I started laughing, a nervous laughter, but nevertheless, laughter. "What is it?" my husband inquired. What was I finding so laughable at a time like this? The only thing interior - wise that was out of place in our house, was a sign. It was tilted and wedged against one of the breakfast nook window's trim and simply read: "RELAX'.
A forty-two inch poplar had fallen over the entire length of our house. It was found to be tee-tottering on only one - twelve inch limb that rested solely on the corner eave and gutter of the kitchen side of the house. We found that that corner and the tin roof, only slightly bent, was the total extent of the damage that we found...thus far.
My "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" prayer vigilance started up again, but more softly as my husband, now on the roof, cut each branch and limb from the tree. This humongous tree was being cut inches at a time, as I hauled myself up to help him, barefoot. Being in construction, I have found that barefeet will cling to tin better than most shoes, do. The cutting and my heaving off the heavy pieces from the roof continued for quite some time, as now daylight was breaking through. A small neighborhood audience was forming as the work continued. Most of the tree was down on the ground except the one twelve inch limb that was supporting the entire weight of the base of the tree. Any wrong move would have sent it into my windows below. As I could hear neighbors speculating as to what should be done, my husband just did it, in silence.
Wind still whipping and blowing snow still furious, we watched as my husband found a 6 x 6 inch post and anchored it on the ground and against the brunt of that still heavy tree. He wedged the post as tight as he could and then with a heavy gasp of air, he cut a small wedge near the base of the tree. The tree let out a groan and then selled, lifting the limb off the gutter and corner of the roof. Applause !!! It worked. the tree adjusted to the change and now had its full weight resting on that 6 x 6 post. We were able to continue the inch by inch cuts from the roof and then on the ground, until the whole tree had now become a wonderful stack of firewood.
"Thank you Lord, for the use and power of your wonderful name."
To this day, if you visit, you will still see the 'RELAX' sign resting against the window trim.
(Alot of the linbs had been cut when this picture was taken. )
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