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It is Good Friday. The sun is shining as I write this blog, and the world around me seems at peace. In other parts of the world, though, conflicts rage placing our soldiers in harm’s way. In some places, horrible things are being done to human beings by other human beings. All of this on a day when we should take a few moments to reflect on the significance of what happened thousands of years ago.

On this day, I can’t help but think of the trees around us that are still without leaves, trees that have withstood the ravages of winter, that still grow straight and true and that will soon put forth leaves and blooms.

One of my favorite writings by an unknown author has been requested by my radio listeners every year at this time. I thought I might take a few moments on this Good Friday to share it with you.

It is called Three Trees. If you ever do find out who wrote this, please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due.

“Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, ‘Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty.’ Then the second tree said, ‘Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.’ Finally, the third tree said, ‘I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me.’

“After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree, he said, ‘This looks like a strong tree. I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter…’ and began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree, the woodsman said, ‘This looks like a strong tree. I should be able to sell it to the shipyard.’ The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened, because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, ‘I don’t need anything special from my tree, so I’ll take this one.’ And he cut it down.

“When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a fishing boat. His dreams of becoming a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

“Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

“Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn’t think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said ‘Peace,’ and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it carried the King of Kings.

“Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible.

“The moral of the story is that when things don’t seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you.

“Each of the trees got what they wanted–just not in the way they had imagined.”

Are you familiar with “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri? There is a new verse translation of “Purgatorio” by W. S. Merwin, a Borzoi Book published in 2000 by Alfred A. Knopf. “Purgatorio” has been described by Harold Bloom as “…the most welcoming part of the Commedia.” In the notes section was another legend about another tree that has some significance to this day.

“According to legend, the Cross was made from wood of the forbidden tree in Eden. Seth, in legend, planted a shoot from the Tree of Knowledge on Adam’s grave. By the time of Solomon, it was a big tree. Solomon cut it down and used the wood, some say for his palaces and others say for a bridge across a pool. The Queen of Sheba, who had been miraculously informed that the Savior of the world would hang on this wood in the future, refused to step on it, and warned Solomon against doing so. In order to prevent the prophecy from coming to pass, Solomon had the beam buried deep in the earth. The Pool of Bethesda welled up from the spot, its healing properties rising from the wood. Shortly before the Passion of Christ the wood itself rose to the surface and was used for the Cross.”

And finally, one last tree…

This is The Legend of The Dogwood Tree, featured in the April calendar page in the 1990 edition of Harris’ Farmer’s Almanac. “Any pathway in the beautiful spring countryside will do as a special, proven cure for ‘down-in-the-dumpitis.’ There are so many special and beautiful things to see that you will be a different and happier person before you use up very much of that trail. Take, for instance, the tree of Good Friday, the wild dogwood, that is full of delicate cross-shaped flowers. Those blossoms are the flower-symbols of the Crucifixion of Christ. In those long ago days when the wood of the dogwood was not shamed yet by its use for the Cross, the tree grew tall and straight and strong, which was the reason it was used for making crosses upon which criminals died.

“But after it was used for the Crucifixion, God ordained that it would never be strong or straight enough or large enough again for the building of a cross. To this day, the beautifully blossomed dogwood is a misshapen, scraggily [sic] tree with twisted branches bent towards heaven in supplication for forgiveness. Its blossoms tell the story of its shame, blossoms so beautiful that in most places it is against the law to harm or cut a dogwood tree, not even a branch.”

We have a dogwood on our property that was planted by a previous homeowner. It is planted in a spot that doesn’t seem suited for it. I have been tempted to move it to another location, but I’m hesitant to do anything with it after reading the legend.

“To see a hillside white with dogwood bloom is to know a particular ecstasy of beauty, but to walk the gray winter woods and find the buds which will resurrect that beauty in another May is to partake of continuity.” Hal Borland in The New York Times, November 28th, 1948.

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Don Jackson

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.