Gumballs and leaves are evidence of trees!

It's Five Minute Friday! 
Today's prompt is TREE...Go.

We have many trees in our well established yard. When we moved out of our previous home, the one with 2 small Bradford Pears planted carefully by the builder, we knew we wanted a home with trees.  When Jonathan was a baby, he and I would meet a friend and her little one at a nearby park to stroll a few times a week.  I'll never forget one day when Jonathan saw a little furry creature in the grass. He asked, "whazat?" I answered, "a squirrel", realizing that he had never seen a squirrel because we did not have any trees.

As we have lived in our home with trees for some 9 years now, we have grown to love and hate the trees. In the spring, we have thousands of sweet gum balls under our feet, all over the driveway and clogging up the mower. This time of year, we find ourselves raking, bagging, mowing, blowing and crunching through leaves. Leaves that are so numerous that if left on the ground will smother the newly planted grass.

The gum balls and the leaves are the evidence of trees. Big trees that are alive and producing and reproducing season after season. They are growing and stretching both above ground and below. Without the evidence of life, the trees would need to be cut down, or else they may become a threat the next time a strong wind blows. 

We talk a lot about fruit in our family. About how people will know who we belong to and what we are living for by the fruit we produce. We don't want to be useless or dangerous. We don't want to be cut down. We want to be alive, with the evidence to prove it. Growing on the outside and the inside and stretching and thriving.

Leaves and sweetgum balls are not as delightful as apples and pears, but the evidence of life is still there! So, tomorrow, when I am bagging up another yard full of leaves, I'll thank God for his reminder of life and growth and a season for everything.

Happy Friday creative ones!

Linking up here for another Five Minute Friday!