The cipher in the Snow

Do you remember that church video where the boy gets off a school bus and just collapses, d ead. His teacher figures out, after much introspection and investigation, that the boy died from lack of love- no body loved him. It always made me so sad, especially the part where his step father is berating him. Darn tear-jerker.

Well, we had our own cipher in the snow story- though not nearly as sad, not nearly as serious, with no school bus, or boys with bowl haircuts. My last post was the story of our sad little Christmas tree that from the get-go I didn't like. I guess I did berate it-calling it ugly, lopsided, and dare I repeat, balding on top! Even once we got it home, decorated it, and gave it lights, you still couldn't get any words of encouragement to escape my lips. It was pathetic, and I took every opportunity to let it know that.

So, within a couple of days it started to turn brown, puke green-brown to be specific. I kept it watered, but that darn derelict tree kept turning more and more brown each day. After just 5 days in our house, the tree was dropping needles faster than a junkie running from the police. One morning I came downstairs after being so overwhelmed with Claire and her mess making and as soon as I looked at our brown tree, I broke into tears. I knew the tree wasn't going to last until Christmas and we were having a Christmas party this weekend at our house. I was embarrassed about having such a sad tree for all to see. But I wasn't about to go and get another tree. What, are we made of money? But when Cody came home that day, he asked if I wanted to get a new tree and after considering that the tree would literal be reduced to a skeleton of twigs with a pile of needles on the floor by Christmas, we decided to go and buy another. I couldn't figure out why our tree died so fast and so thoroughly. But then I thought of the cipher in the snow, and realized-the hippies were right- A plant needs love to grow. And ours was definitely not feeling the love. Maybe some day, somewhere, when a seminary teacher doesn't have anything planned for the day, the story of our cipher in the snow will be told, and someone besides me, will shed a tear for our sorry tree.

PS: For all those who have wondered what a cipher in the snow is, I looked it up. A cipher is one having no influence or value; a non-entity. However, our tree did have a value- $30 wasted bucks!!!!