A Thing as Lovely as a Tree

One of the things Mark and I miss the most is our yard. We love to sit on our screened porch, watching the birds at our feeders, saying hello to our wonderful neighbors, and glorying in the many trees in our yard through the seasons. Most of our neighborhood is treeless. Today I had the opportunity to make that change by planting trees throughout our zipcode area. Through a variety of groups and grants from the state horticultural association, 75 trees were planted along the sidewalks in our area. I met some really neat young people, including the president of our neighborhood association. Young people are moving into our neighborhood, buying their first homes, and fixing up the neglected rental properties. It makes the neighborhood safer and stronger. I was able to talk to them about the Inn and our guests and how we might all work together to make the neighborhood cleaner and more cohesive. While it was not direct service to the poor, I hope that by making the environment more natural, those who live here will feel more in touch with the One who created it all.