Oak Tree in an Acorn: A Trip to Bountiful

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

A Trip to Bountiful

One of the weekends before school started back up, we took the girls and went to see my dad and his wife. The girls love going to the "country" and feel right at home at Granddaddy and Granny Gigi's house. Our visit came at a good time because a couple of days before, their dog of 13 years passed away. The girls had lots if hugs and "sugar" to give, which I hope eased some of Granddaddy and Granny's heartache.

While visiting, we made a trip to the Wharton County Historical Museum. The museum now resides in the former home of Marshall and Lillie Johnson, which I had never been to even though I was raised in Wharton. There were exhibits on the Native Americans who once lived in the region, Academy Award winning screenwriter and playwright, Horton Foote, former news anchor Dan Rather, the Texasgulf Sulfur Company, the history of Wharton County Junior College, and the interesting animal collection of Marshall Johnson.

When we came back to East Bernard, Aunt Gatha came by and brought a Slip-n-Slide and sidewalk chalk for the girls to play with. They had a blast!

Happy Birthday, Granddaddy!

P.S. If you have never seen the movie *The Trip to Bountiful* (adapted from Horton Foote's TV play), it's definitely worth checking out!

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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.