Writers don’t always write, sometimes life gets in the way. Well, in this case “tree got in the way”, literally.

This tree was rotting in the “V” between the two halves. I had seriously considered taking the tree down before this past winter but was concerned about the size and wanted to find a way to minimize damage to the driveway pavement. After looking at the tree I decided there was enough good wood that it should be OK until spring or summer when I would have more time to deal with it. I was trying to finish my first novel at the time and didn’t need the distraction. The weather would be better also, I reasoned with myself. It would be OK, I thought to myself, BUZZ….WRONG.

It waited till after I finished the book, yeah, but it certainly didn’t wait for my choice of timing. When it came down on its own it got caught in the top of another tree and blocked the driveway. Now I had to deal with it and now it would be much more difficult because it was caught in the other tree.

After about two hours with the chain saw, sledge hammer, wedges, and axe I managed to get the lower part of the tree out of the way of the pavement without killing myself, yeah again. It’s always a yeah when you don’t kill yourself. It is still caught in the top of the other tree but now I can at least get in and out with the van. I’ll deal with the rest later.

But taking down the tree left us a bit of a mystery. In the rotten section of the tree we found about a dozen eggs. At first I thought they were turtle eggs but there was no way a turtle could climb three feet into the “V” of the tree. The only remaining possibility was that they were snake eggs, yuck. If snakes are laying eggs in any rotten sections of trees on my property then that’s a good enough reason to take the tree down.

The moral of this story: Life will always get in the way at some time or another. Do what you need to do to clear the way and get back to work.

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A Lovely Lady and an Inspiration

When we received the poem from our friend it simply said “Author Unknown” at the end. Over the years we have shared this poem with many people whether they had a child with a disability or not. I even had it posted on my business website for many years, hoping that it would be an inspiration to someone else as it had been for me. I also posted it as “Author Unknown”.

A few years ago I received a call from a lady who had found the poem on our business website and after a brief discussion she said that she knew the women who wrote the poem. I was ecstatic and wanted to know much more about the author and her connection. I don’t remember her specific relationship, it could have been daughter or granddaughter but she was very pleasant to talk with. I told her how much the poem had meant to me over the years and that I would really like to keep it on our website. I told her I would be more than happy to finally be able to include the name of the author. She said she was sure her author relative would be happy for me to have the poem on our website.

I’ve done my own research on Edna Massimilla, author of the poem. She is 101 years old and as far as I know is still living. She is a song writer and a lovely woman. Do a search on the internet for her and be sure to find her Facebook page.

Edna, thank you for this poem that had meant so much to me.

“Heaven’s Very Special Child”

A meeting was held quite far from earth.
It’s time again for another birth.
Said the angels to the Lord above,
this special child will need much love.
His progress may seem very slow,
accomplishments he may not show.
And he’ll require extra care
from the folks he meets way down there.
He may not run, or laugh, or play;
his thought may seem quite far away.
In many ways he won’t adapt;
and he’ll be known as handicapped.
So let’s be careful where he’s sent,
we want his life to be content.
Please Lord, find parents who,
will do this special job for you.
They will not realize right away,
the leading role they’re asked to play.
But with this child sent from above
comes stronger faith and richer love.
And soon they’ll know the privilege given
in caring for this gift from heaven.
Their precious charge so meek and mild
is heaven’s very special child.

Author:
Edna Massimilla

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