Sometimes, the best gifts are the ones you don't know you are giving.

Journaling: The previous owners moved into the house we now live in the year I was born. They stayed for almost fifty years. Their son, a boy at the time, had a knack for growing things. He planted a pear tree in the yard. That tree grew to be the one you see in this photo. One day, while in the garage, I noticed some writing on the door jamb and some pictures of pears tacked to the wall. The notes gave the date the tree was planted and the date each of its six varieties of pears was grafted to the tree. There were also notes about when the fruit would ripen and how best to use each variety.Over the last year, we watched this tree go through its various stages. The month we moved in, its branches were bare. In the spring it flowered. Then, in the summer and fall we ate its fruit. We shared bags of pears with our neighbors, sat in its shade, played in its branches, and enjoyed watching the squirrels as they tried to carry off their prizes. Now, the fruit is gone. The tree is starting to lose its leaves. Soon its branches will be bare. The tree will rest and then the cycle will begin anew and, when it does, we will have the pleasure of being part of it all again. I am thankful for the gift that once little boy left us.

Credits
Anna Aspnes
LoopDaLoop Leaves No.1 **coming Friday**
Artsy Layered Template No. 37 (frames, masks, turn, brads, splatter, leaf transfers)
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=28853
Stitched by Anna White No.1
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=27836
FotoGlows No.2
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=27709
ArtPlay Palette Floralis (background paper)
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=27642

Maya de Groot
Terra Toni (flower, twig)
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=28845

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