The Wishing Tree

This is my first work of fiction.  I put it before you here in faith that someday after much practice and prayer I will be a published author.  This story was written to the children at the “Real Dream Community Center” in Possulane Village, Marracuene, Maputo District, Mozambique Africa.

The Wishing Tree

There once was a small tree growing in the warm sunshine.  She had many dreams of what she would like to do when she grew very big.  She lived in a large field far from any city and she was happy.

 One day some people came and they began to construct buildings near the little tree.  They put up a big square fence close to her, she watched as they put up walls of cement with windows and doors, a porch and even a roof.  People moved into the building and there were many children playing outside.  They created large cages for their animals which they had some as pets and some as food.  The people were happy, at night when darkness came the little tree could hear them laughing inside the building and having fun.

 As time passed and the little tree grew taller she began to wish that she were not a tree at all.  She longed to be a window to be close to the family at night and watch them in their home.  She also wished she could be a door that the family could go in and out of day after day and she could watch the children grow up.  Or maybe she could be an animal cage, that way she would be near the children and their pets.

 The tree became dissatisfied and decided that being a tree was boring and lonely.  She became bitter.  Her branches bent over and her leaves became a color that was not green at all.  The trees and bushes around her could see that she was getting worse, they tried to make her happy but nothing would work. They danced and danced in the breeze. They sang songs to her as the wind rushed through their leaves and branches.  They would shake and drop branches in order to make her laugh but she would not pay attention to them.   She would only stare over the fence at the family and long to be something, anything other than a tree.

 One hot summer day the family all came outside, over the fence and gathered underneath the little tree.  But she was not little anymore.  So much time had passed that she was a large tree with a great space of shade underneath her.  The family ate their food and stayed underneath her covering all day long.  During this hot season the family came every week and had a party under the shade tree.  She began to notice that the fence was old and the family would push it down to come over to her.  The roof had holes in it and some of the windows were broken.  Many animals were running loose because the cages were falling apart.

 The wishing tree had out lasted everything around her.  She had grown into a beautiful shade tree and was no longer wishing she was something else at all.  She was happy to be a tree.  All of that time she did not notice that she didn’t have to be a window to watch the family, she could look through the window.  She did not have to be a door to see the children grow up, she had seen them growing every day and she did not have to be a man made cage to be near the children and their animals, she was close enough to them to see their happy faces and hear their laughter.  All those years wasted wishing she was something else when she was what the family loved most about their property all along.  Now she was happy.  She was happy to be a tree.

 Children, God created each of you for a purpose.  Remember our time together and remember that you are special.  Do not ever wish you were someone else.

 You are you and that is exactly who God created you to be.

 My love to you all, I miss you.

Sister Sylvia