Oak Tree in an Acorn: Feeling a Tug on Those Heartstrings

Monday, August 4, 2008

Feeling a Tug on Those Heartstrings

Olivia is off to camp this morning, and I am missing her BIG Time! She will be there from 8:30AM - 4PM for a whole week without anyone she knows, but I am sure that will change in a very short time. When I dropped her off this morning, it felt as if my heart was still attached but it was being tugged on. She will have great adventures, I'm sure, with some of her favorite activities: swimming, kayaking, hiking, climbing, and crafts, and she told me she is really looking forward to the afternoon snow cones. She'll learn lots and become a little more independent before school starts, but it does feel like I'm holding my breath this morning. Genevieve is missing her too and cried as we watched Livy hike away to her group. Livy just smiled and waved. She's ready to fly. Wonder what it will feel like when she will leave for college....GULP!

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Why the title, "Oak Tree in an Acorn"?

Well, really it's all about perspective when raising the girls. It helps me to think about the grand scheme of parenting and remember that what we do now affects how our little acorns will grow. Like an oak tree, we want them to be strong in their words and deeds, be able to withstand life's storms, set and reach their goals, and be people that others can lean on and trust.

We have an oak tree planted in our yard that came from an acorn my dad planted in a pot. This acorn came from a huge oak tree that was planted in the backyard of my dad's childhood home. My dad's father also planted this tree from an acorn he found on his hunting lease in the early 1960's. Our tree is thus a family heirloom, a "family tree".

It was the year of Olivia's birth when we planted our little sapling. It looked so very sad that winter with no leaves; it was, basically, like a stick rooted in the ground. Five years later, though, it stands 9 feet tall, and we continue to nurture it and watch it grow. We hope one year it will produce acorns of its own, and we can continue to pass on this family heirloom. We hope to remember it's example of how each acorn has the potential to be an oak tree, and how our acorns, Olivia and Genevieve, will one day, with help from God, become mighty oak trees themselves.