When I was a young girl, there was a lonely White Birch Tree in the center of my front yard. I was captured and intrigued by this tree. I remember looking out my bedroom window and feeling terrible that this White Birch Tree was all alone out there. I thought how sad that a tree has to stand alone for all eternity. One day I could take it no longer and decided I was going to become friends with this tree.

I began climbing onto the roof outside my window in order to talk to my new potential friend. I knew it was imperative to bond with my new friend before I could approach him. I would go out on my roof every day to spend quality time with the lonely White Birch Tree.

One day I had decided it was time for the tee and I to become better acquainted. I went outside and sat under the tree. I could tell the tree was as happy as I was to have some company.

When I felt that the tree and I were officially bonded, I began to climb him everyday. I spent hours at the top of that tree all summer long. The lonely White Birch Tree was now my new best friend and I was his.

I would do whatever I had to do to protect that tree. I made sure, if I saw any bugs on him that I got rid of them. If the leaves looked unhealthy, I removed them. My mission was to make sure this tree would never be unhappy again.

Fall came around and to my astonishment, the leaves never turned colors. They only fell off. Here was my now, not so lonely White Birch Tree looking like it was dieing. The neighbor’s trees were so beautiful and full of color. I knew my friend the tree was feeling humiliated. I was not sure what I was going to do. I climbed that bald tree for three days trying to come up with a plan. On the third day, it came to me.

For the next two days, I taped so much colored paper to that tree and the spots that were not covered in colored paper, I colored in with crayons and markers. I did this until I felt my friend the tree looked far more colorful than any of the neighbor’s trees. {And it did} I knew every tree on the street was jealous of my friend the tree. He was no longer a lonely White Birch Tree. He was the most beautiful, well kept tree and envied by all. My mission was complete. I had made a difference.

We moved that winter but still to this day, when I drive by my old house, I stop and look at my friend the tree. It has been 27 years and I still get a sense that my friend the tree will never feel alone again, almost as this tree has grown to be so big and beautiful because it holds my love and care inside of him for all eternity.