6.21.2005

the giving tree by shel silverstein

Once there was a tree . . .

and
she loved
a
little boy.

And every day
the boy
would come

and
he
would
gather
her
leaves

and make them
into crowns
and play king of the forest.

He would climb up her trunk

and swing from her branches

and eat apples.

And they
would play
hide-and-go-seek.

And when
he was tired,
he would sleep
in her shade.

And the boy loved the tree . . .

very much. And the tree was happy.

But time went by.

And the boy grew older.

And the tree was often alone.

Then one day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, "Come, Boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy."
"I am too big to climb and play," said the boy.
"I want to buy things and have fun.
I want some money.
Can you give me some money?"
"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I have no money.
I have only leaves and apples.
Take my apples, Boy, and sell them
in the city. Then you will have money
and you will be happy."

And so the boy climbed up the
tree and gathered
her apples
and carried them away.

And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away
for a long time...
and the tree was sad.
And then one day
the boy came back
and the tree shook with joy
and she said, "Come, Boy,
climb up my trunk
and swing from my branches
and be happy."

"I am too busy to climb trees,"
said the boy.
"I want a house to keep me warm,"
he said.
"I want a wife and I want children,
and so I need a house.
Can you give me a house?"
"I have no house," said the tree.
"The forest is my house,
but you may cut off my branches
and build a house.
Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off
her branches
and carried them away
to build his house.

And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away
for a long time.
And when he came back,
the tree was so happy
she could hardly speak.
"Come, Boy," she whispered,
"come and play."
"I am too old and sad to play,"
said the boy.
"I want a boat that will take me far away from here.
Can you give me a boat."

"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat,"
said the tree.
"Then you can sail away . . .
and be happy."

And so the boy cut down her trunk

and made a boat and sailed away.

And the tree was happy . . .

but not really.

And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree, "but I have nothing
left to give you---

My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. "You
cannot swing on them---"
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone," said the tree.
"You cannot climb---"
"I am too tired to climb," said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that could
give you something...
but I have nothing left. I am just
an old stump. I am sorry . . . ."

"I don't need very much now,"
said the boy,
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree,
straightening herself up
as much as she could,
"well, an old stump is good
for sitting and resting.
Come, Boy, sit down.
Sit down and rest."

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.

The End
By Shel Silverstein


God Bless,
lv

6.16.2005

here i am and i'll wait in line always

New York City was wonderful. I had a fabulous time. Took umpteen classes at Broadway Dance Center (up to 4 1/2 hours a day), saw 4 Broadway shows (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Phantom of the Opera, All Shook Up and Sweet Charity) and an ABT Ballet, Raymonda. I saw my friend Joan for the first time in 4 years, went to Little Italy and Canal Street (but didn't buy a purse), put Miss Karen's baby to sleep several times, went to Ground Zero which so unfathomable and has even more impact than one would expect. The extent of damage is just beyond belief. And they've cleaned it up! I cannot even imagine what it must have looked like initially. I took no pictures of Ground Zero, because I couldn't figure out what to take a picture of. The destruction was so devastating. Pictures could not even begin to capture the level of destruction which the empty hole represents.

I've been home since Sunday afternoon, and I'm leaving today for Charleston, South Carolina. Ashley's getting married on Saturday! Wow. Scary to think that will be me before long. The wedding's going to be a blast though; I'm really looking forward to it. Bridal luncheon on Friday morning, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner Friday evening, girl stuff saturday morning, wedding saturday afternoon, reception following, family brunch sunday morning...I'm going to be exhausted! I love being so busy though, as long as it doesn't have to do with school. :)

I have New York pictures that you can see
here. I'm not going to take the time to post them all, because I had a lot of trauma with them already. Don't want to go through that again. Just look, and enjoy. I'll be making a video slideshow before long--for those of you who know me well. ;)

I'll be back from South Carolina Sunday evening. Until then, don't have too much fun without me! And, if you're a member of St. Johns youth, be sure to check out the
DV8 blog, adminstrated by Megan and me.

Oh, the results of the SAT quiz will be up soon (i.e. as soon as I find the Reader's Digest that it was in!). Which I'm almost tempted not to do, since only 2 of you actually did it, and then you went and checked your own answers. Poo.

Love you all, and hope you're having summers full of blessings and grace!

God bless,
lv