A Tree for the Generations

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 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. 

Psalm 100:5 

We know as humans that everything can not stay around forever, but sometimes you just want it to.  The picture is the last sunrise that our family saw come between the branches of that Maple Tree.  It might not have been "the Maple tree" the farm was named after but it was one of them.  

Growing up the yard was full of trees, and there was just this one giant tree in the center.  That one was so big that unfortunately it only lived to be about 85 years old may be a few years older, but it was long gone years ago.  This tree was the last of the original maple trees.  The one that withstood 6 generations on the farm.  The one that we taught people about Maple Syrup on and of course the one people knew they were at the farm by.  

However, time has once again stolen just another piece of the original farm and the tree was struggling to hold up to the many changes in our weather.  After the big snow and wind over the Christmas holiday, you could tell the tree was just not safe and before someone got hurt, we wanted to have control of the situation.  So it was time to cut it down.  The cool thing about cutting trees, is there is not along wait list so one week we had them come look, and the next week it came down.  

I know what you're thinking..."its just a tree," and you are absolutely right! However, this tree just closed out one more thing that I held on to from childhood.  Yes, I am greatly blessed to be raising my kids here and doing the same things that I did growing up, but every time we turn around something is changing.  Change is good.  Change determines growth.  Change shows that we are still here, but change is HARD! 

I looked at that tree daily.  It kept the house shaded, just a little hidden from the road, and well it was a boundary marker.  That tree also showed how rooted and loved this farm was and is over the years.  That tree had stood the test of time and God's love.  This farm was started 122 years ago and many of the trees here are some of the originals that were never cleared away.  That tree knew all the stories.  It witnessed all the changes on the farm and its roots run deep.  Just like God is to us, that tree was faithful to all the generations on this farm.  

Much like that tree is rooted, I hope that the roots we are working to develop on the farm today will be able to stand the test of time in the coming years.  I hope that over the next six generations, the farm continues to thrive and more people are able to benefit from all the things that the farm produces.  To think how in the past, the farm used to produce milk for the community and now it gives off a lot more. The growth and change has not always been easy but totally worth it in the end.  

Even though that last Maple Tree came down, we know that the trees we plant each day will have a story to tell in the next six generations.  

As Always, 

Farming with Faith & Family

God Bless

Amanda 


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