Inspiration.html

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse. At the end of a rough first day that included his only electric drill quitting, the plumber dragged his tired body to his old work truck where he noticed a flat tire. It cost him an hour of his family time to get it changed and then his ancient one-ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving at his home, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked up the stone path toward the front door, he paused briefly at a majestic tree, reached up and touched the tips of a hanging branch with both hands.

After meeting and visiting with his family he walked me to my 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 numerous troubles on the job and throughout the day, but one thing’s for sure, those troubles don’t belong in our home with my wife and the children…so I hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick ‘em 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 before.” He looked toward the sky and nodded a silent prayer of gratitude. I thanked him and drove home, a different person. I now had full intentions of planting a trouble tree right outside the front door of my home and teaching others to do the same.

Author Unknown