Seasons

I have seen many days like this, where rain rapidly runs from the clouds and assaults my leaves. It’s a strange thing, as the rain brings me nourishment, but makes my days dreary. I have spent many days like this in this very park… alone. Not even the birds want to come out and sing me their songs. I stand here in the middle of the park, and am filled with the deepest dread of loneliness. I miss the people being in my park on days like this. Often, I use my memories to keep me company. So, let me tell you a story to warm the heart of this century old tree.

I have been in this park for many years, actually I almost forget the days when I was a sapling. Nonetheless, as I have grown, the world has grown with me. The humans change so often, it is actually quite funny. The one thing I notice is the way they dress changes all the time. I remember when everyone wore hats, and there was the time where leg warmers were all the rage. Another thing they used to do was smoke in my park all the time, now not so much. The age-old thing that has happened across my life is, sometimes, people let their dogs pee on me, and let me tell you, it is about as fun as it looks. Sometimes I notice that the buildings around the park get taller and taller, and I hear the sounds of tools getting closer and closer. Alas, I am still here, and still watching the world change. Many say change is bad, and in some instances, it is. However, when you grow to be as old as me, change becomes your favorite thing. 

You see, I watch change happen constantly. Families will come to this park across their generations, and I watch them grow from younger to older. One of these families touched my willowed hearts recently. There was a young man named Mark. This young man's family had been coming to my park across their human generations… but Mark was special. He loved the park, and was here often. His mother would bring him to the playground and he would laugh and smile for hours. I will never forget the smile he had when he first was put into the baby swing. The joy was infectious, and everyone around him was illuminated by the light of his soul. From that day on, I never wanted that light to dim. 

But one day it did. As he got older, he would bring his friends to my park after school to play soccer. They would rush down the concrete paths on their bikes, laughing and smiling as if there was no darkness in the world. They would then lock up their bikes, and run to the wide open green fields to kick the ball around. None of them were very good, but they were having fun, which is all I want here at my park. They were in the middle of a game, and Mark stops for a second uncharacteristically. He pulls out his cell phone, and answers a call.  

He says “ Hey mom, what’s the rush? I said I would be home around 6:30.” He receives a response, and his face drops, as tears begin to well up in his eyes. “No, no, no… the doctors said he had more time.” His voice shook as the facial expression dropped as if the world had been flipped upside down. “Yeah. I will be home soon.” 

Mark then said to his friends that he had to go, and he ran off, but he didn’t grab his bike. He was running to me. I saw the boy with tears streaming down his face when he collapsed down to the ground  and leaned his back against my trunk. He muttered under his breath, “I don’t know what I’m gonna do without you, Grandpa.” He threw his face into his hands and let the tears flow and fall to the ground. That was the one time I wasn't happy to see water go into the soil. At that moment, I wished I could have given him a hug, because I knew his Grandpa too. He was a good man, always making friends in my park. He had a bright soul, just like Mark, but in this moment, I saw Mark's soul dim, just as I feared.

For many years, Mark would still come to the park, but he wasn’t the same. The darkness of the world made itself apparent to him at a young age, and he wasn’t ready for it. Most humans are never ready for that darkness to make itself known, but it’s harder when you are younger. I watched as he persevered, though his soul still lacked the light it once had. I saw Mark's friendships end and young relationships die throughout these years. The light kept getting darker and darker. I feared the light that the little boy on the swing had would never come back.

Then, one day I saw that light become a little brighter! I wondered what could have done it? Perhaps he did well on his math test, or made the high school soccer team. Nonetheless, I saw him running with a wicker basket to me with a smile on his face. He then pulls a blanket out from the basket and flourishes it in the air, then subsequently places it on the ground next to my trunk. He pulls out an assortment of foods out of the basket –grapes, chips, sandwiches, and two bottles of water, and places them on the blanket. He then begins to pace, and mutters to himself “ I hope she likes this… I want her to like me.” 

Sooner rather than later, this girl about Mark’s age walks up and has a smile I was familiar with. I had never seen her in my park before, but her smile showed me her soul was as bright as the sun in the sky. The two ate their lunch under the shade I provided them, and were there for hours. Her radiance infected Mark, and I began to see his bright soul once again. After that day, the two came to my park often. They would ride bikes, eat lunch, read, and play games together. The two eventually became inseparable, and the radiance began to become shared. Mark’s light had returned!

Many years later, Mark had come back to me, with the same wicker basket and blanket… but this time, it was different, he was nervous again. He had a bunch of flowers and candles. He was pacing again, even though they had been together for many years now. The girl with the bright smile showed up once again, but this time she had a look of shock on her face. Mark then gets down on one knee and says “ Analisse, I have loved you since our first date here. Everyday with you has been the gift that keeps on giving. I don't want to spend my life with anyone else. Will you marry me?” Tears begin to gather in Mark’s eyes as he pulls out a small black box. He opens the box to show a beautiful diamond ring and presents it to Analisse. Her eyes begin to water, her cheeks turn bright red, and she lets out a shocked chuckle right before she exclaims, “Yes!” The two were overwhelmed with emotions and tears began to flow down both of their faces. These tears seemed different than the last ones, and I didn’t mind them watering my soil this time. 

Mark and Analisse spend the next few hours sitting under my shade, recreating their first date once again. Towards the end of this momentous day, Mark tells Analisse “I want to etch this day into history forever so we will always remember this moment.” He pulls out a pocket knife, and walks up to me and begins carving into my trunk. I was nervous and excited. Many people come to my park with markings and art on their skin, and they call it tattoos. Now, I was getting one of those tattoos too. It kind of hurt, but it was worth it. The final product said “ M+A 5/12/16” with a heart around it. I was proud of my new tattoo, as it was my first one. Once he was done, Analisse asked “ Why does the knife have a small engraving on it saying K.M.?” Mark smiled, and said “ Oh, it used to belong to my Grandpa. He used to carry it around in his pocket everyday, and he told me on the day he gave it to me, that one day, I would know exactly when to use it.”

It has been many years since that day, and Mark and Analisse still come to my park often, but not alone. Now they bring their own children when they join me. Those children have the same light their parents had. This… is why I like change so much. 

Now, why did I tell you the story of Mark on this lonely, rainy day? In my lifetime, I have lived through the four seasons over and over again. One thing I have noticed is that the lives of humans often go through seasons as well. Though, theirs seem to last longer than mine. Some deal with the loneliness that fall rain brings me. However, most importantly, I have seen everyone find the warmth and love summer brings. The one thing I implore you to remember is just like with Mark, the seasons of life are momentary and constantly changing. You may deal with the loneliness of fall rain today, but I promise you, the warmth of summer is just around the corner.