"Do You Love TREES as Much As I Do?"

The Trouble Tree
By: Author Unknown

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse
had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire
made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and
now his ancient pickup truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On
arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked
toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree,
touching tips of the branches with both hands. When opening
the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His
tanned face was wreathed in smiles, and he hugged his two
small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward, he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and
my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I
had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't
help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure;
troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the
children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night
when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up
again."

"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I
come out in the morning to pick them up,
there aren't nearly as many as I
remember hanging up the night befor