The Trees Got A Haircut

 

On Monday, the trees at school got a haircut.

And even though he watched while the branches were being trimmed,

TJ was very sad about the trees on Tuesday.

Pacing back and forth in the car rider line,

TJ kept expressing his distress:

“I’m sad. I’m angwy. The twees. I love the twees.

The twees are hurt. I’m fwustwated.”

Then he’d find a teacher for comfort.

Yet no matter how much we tried to reassure TJ

That the trees would be okay,

That their branches would grow back,

That they needed to be trimmed just like hair needed to be trimmed,

TJ still paced back and forth and expressed his distress:

“I’m sad. I’m angwy. The twees. I love the twees.

The twees are hurt. I’m fwustwated.”

 

Sometimes, I think, we are all TJ.

We see what is directly in front of us and

Remember what has been. 

We feel sad.

We feel angry.

We feel frustrated.

We hold on to what we’ve known

Because we can’t see what can be.

Sometimes, I think, it’s hard to have faith

In what can be.

It’s hard to believe

That something good can come from something

That looks and feels

So bad.

 

What I love about TJ’s reaction, though,

Is that he expressed his emotions.

He didn’t silently feel sad, angry, and frustrated.

He named the problem.

He told us how he was feeling.

Then he sought comfort in the arms of

Someone who could hold faith

Even when he couldn’t.

 

Oh God.

When we don’t understand,

When all we see is devastation

And all we feel is sad, angry, and frustrated,

Let us be like TJ and

Name the problem,

Express how we’re feeling,

And then seek help and comfort in the arms and hearts

Of someone who can hold faith for us

Until we either see new growth

Or come to hold faith ourselves.

Amen.