The Giving Tree

Once upon a time there was a little tree on a hill. It called itself the Giving Tree. Whoever touched its branches was given a gift. Often the gift would not become clear for many days, but always there was a gift that arrived just when it was needed most.
One day a huge storm came to the land where the Giving Tree grew. That night lightening hit the Giving Tree and it was split in two. The villagers left the dead and blackened tree standing on the hilltop because they could not bear to cut it down. On the first anniversary of the storm some women from the village crept, at dark, to the tree to hang gifts from its branches. They felt a little foolish but knew they had to do it. Over the next months they noticed that whenever they were most in need of something - from courage to someone to watch the baby - it arrived.
The next year the whole village paraded to the tree and hung its dead branches with garlands and gifts.

Above is the finished giving tree - which told me a story as I posted it! Making it as I waited for paint layers to dry was very therapeutic. And now my studio is gaining other decoration - an ideas board is taking shape, strings of beads are on the go, and this morning I stole out to the garage and started a new giving tree in blue and silver.