I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after 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. 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 the 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, 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."
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Owen emailed me this wonderful story that someone else had emailed to him.
I thought it was great and deserves a post *)
hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Love,
Ami Joi Benton