I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and
he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a
flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill
quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start. While
I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.
Upon arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we
walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small
tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.
As he opened 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. Afterwards he walked me back to my car. We passed the
tree and my curiosity got the better of me, so 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,
those 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 and ask God to take care of them.
Then in the morning I pick them up again."
"Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the
morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I
remember hanging up the night before."
Welcome to TIPS for Extraordinary Living!
Sunday, January 3, 2016
