The Cherry Tree, The Owl & Me

Today is a very sad day because today we said our goodbyes, as I took my last breath, I could see you both outside waiting for me. So, let me back up a bit and tell you how the start of this story goes. A story of a young girl and a cherry tree. I was about eleven or twelve years old when one day I was at the local nursery with my mother looking for some rose bushes. My mother loved rose bushes and had lots of them planted all over our property. We lived just about a mile out of town in a three-bedroom house that sat on ten acres. The road we lived on mostly had wheat fields not very many neighbors they were few and far between. My mother was a petite lady and at that time she was in her early thirties, and always on the go. She wore her hair up in a bun daily and was a very pretty lady that didn’t take crap from anyone. I was so much different, I was quiet, wasn’t outspoken and was nowhere at all tiny or petite.

As my mother stood there talking with the nursery attendant who was a short pudgy guy with a long white beard, he reminded me of a shorter Santa Claus. My mother was discussing with him the price of the rose bushes, she felt they were overpriced and was going to dicker him down. I found myself not very interested in their conversation so I asked my mother if I could go look around. She nodded her head and said, “fine just don’t go far” and continued her conversation. I then headed off to go look around and find something more exciting to do. I found so many beautiful flowers with bright colors, none of them I knew anything about couldn’t even pronounce their names on the tags. I walked past some hanging plants, prickly bushes, cactuses, and some very tall trees all different shades of green.

That’s when I noticed this tiny tree back in the corner, it was full of white and red flowers, setting on top of the fence behind it was a beautiful white owl. The closer I got the more I felt like I was getting pulled towards them, a feeling, emotional connection like I was meant to be there. When I was only a few feet away the owl flew off and landed on top of the shed just outside the fence and watched me. I approached the cherry tree and was mesmerized by its beauty, its flowers seemed to blossom the moment I came near. It was like the cherry tree was showing off wanting me to see how pretty it was. The smell of the blossoms filled my senses in a way I have never experienced before, I couldn’t breathe in enough of that smell, I needed more. I couldn’t explain it or understand it but there was something different about this tree. Feeling like I was being watched I looked over and seen that white owl still setting there watching everything I do. Its eyes where big, they were a dark hazel with streaks of gold that made them sparkle in the sunlight.

Just then I felt a hand on my shoulder “there you are sweetie lets go” my mother said as she turned and started walking away wanting me to follow. I wasn’t ready yet I wanted to find out how much this cherry tree costed and if I could get it. “Wait mom! just a min” looking around for someone to ask. “Can we find out how much this tree costs”? I asked her. My mother stopped and looked at the tree then looked at me,

“What on earth are you going to do with a cherry tree”? my mother replied now with her hand on her hip and her head tilted sideways.

“I don’t know” I said quietly “I just know I really want it and swear I will take care of it” My mother just stood there it seemed like eternity then said, “Let me look at the price” as she walked over and looked at the tag.

“Oh, my goodness! I don’t have that much on me right now” my heart just sank into my chest. “How much is it mom”? I asked her not really wanting to know.

“Well, it says $60 dollars and I definitely don’t have that” she looked at me and shook her head “I am sorry”

Just then a nursery attendant walked up to us “very pretty tree isn’t it”? He said, “would you like to purchase it”?

“Oh no, it’s ok, I don’t have that much on me after buying the rose bushes” my mother replied.

“Hmm let’s see” the attendant said as he walked up and looked at the tag, “Well, I see here that this tree is actually discounted” holding the price tag in the palm of his hand he carefully closed it around the tag then put his hand up to his mouth. With a quick puff of air, he blew into his hand then opened it up, showing us the tag. My mother leaned forward, looking at the price tag still attached to the tree. The price tag that once said $60 dollars now said $10 my mother gasped and grabbed her chest. “Oh my”! she said in total shock. “What! What!” I muttered with excitement “what does it say”?

The nursery attendant stood up and said, “can I carry it to you truck for you”? I was so excited it was like I just witnessed a magic trick or something. Pulling on my mother’s sweater I kept asking her if we could buy it “please, please can we”?

All my mother said was “Um, uh, ok, ya sure” My mother had this look on her face like she wasn’t sure if what she just seen was real or not. Then the attendant picked up the tree and headed toward the front door.

“Come on mom hurry”! I told her as I walked along side of the attendant as if guarding the tree from any harm. I was so excited that I never even noticed if the attendant scanned it or not, I really didn’t care. I showed him to our truck and opened the tail gate, jumping into the back of the bed to help slide it in. The tree wasn’t very big it only stood about 4 feet tall, so we used just one strap to secure it. After making sure myself that everything was good, I jumped out and closed the tailgate. I shook his hand and glanced at his name tag it said Michael A,

“Thank you, Michael,” I said.

He looked at me and smiled “your welcome little one, till we meet again” That is when I noticed his beautiful eyes, they were a dark hazel with streaks of gold that made them sparkle in the sunlight. He was a very nice-looking man, his blond hair cut short, no beard or mustache showing off his amazing smile. Nodding his head as to say goodbye, he then headed back to the nursery.

As I waited there for my mother at the truck, I looked at how beautiful the tree was with its bright white and red colored flowers, setting next to my mother’s yellow rose bushes. When my mother got back to the truck, she told me she forgot to buy extra fertilizer that we would need for the tree because she had only bought what she needed for the rose bushes.

She handed me a few bucks and told me to run back in and tell the attendant that we wanted to buy one more bag. I grabbed the money and ran back in looking all around for Michael the attendant who had just helped us. I looked everywhere and couldn’t find him, I figured he must of went on break, so I asked the girl up front.

“Excuse me I am looking for Michael, I need to buy a bag of fertilizer”

She looked at me confused “I’m sorry there is no Michael working here” she said “The only two that work here are me and Keith” as she pointed over to Keith who was helping another customer. I knew Keith wasn’t Michael because Keith was that short Santa Claus that helped my mother with the rose bushes. At this point I was really confused but figured I better keep quiet in case he didn’t work there, and we never paid for the tree.

“Um that’s ok no Biggy” I quickly replied “if I can just get a bag of that fertilizer over there” handing her the money. She rang me up and told pudgy Santa Claus Keith to go put it in our truck. I told her thank you and lead Keith to where we were parked, after he put the fertilizer in the truck bed, I said “goodbye” and jumped in the cab. My mother asked me “if everything went ok”, I told her “Yes” and never mentioned anything about Michael not working there I didn’t want to freak her out. As we drove out of the lot and down the road, I could see that same owl from the nursey following us, its feathers flowing so gracefully in the wind as it sailed on the breeze. I laid my head on the truck door positioned just right with the window down so I could watch him through the side mirror on the outside of the truck. We pulled into our driveway, I barely let the truck come to a stop before jumping out.

“Would you just wait a min and let me come to a complete stop”! my mother yelled.

I didn’t care because I was too excited, could hardly wait to get it planted and watch it grow. After getting it out of the truck, I headed down to the meadow by the stream that went through our property. The fresh water coming from the snow melt on the mountains fed the stream all year long. I grabbed the shovel and dug the hole, added fresh dirt then carefully removed the tree from the bucket it was in. As I did, I happen to see the price tag still attached to it held on by a string. I grabbed the tag noticing that on one side was a faint picture of a set of wings and on the other side it said MY GIFT TO YOU, nothing else no price or anything. Thinking that it seemed really strange I just shrugged it off as it must be the nursery’s logo or something and continued planting my tree. I took such good care of that cherry tree, I watered it, pruned it, kept the bugs off it, I nurtured that tree with all my love. Every day in the late afternoon I would get a blanket, a good book and go set next to the cherry tree reading it out loud. It was something I never failed to do; it became my daily ritual because for some reason I felt the tree was gaining knowledge. That owl that followed us home that day stuck around and nested in the rafters of the old barn that sat between the house and the cherry tree. He would set on a branch and listen as I read from my books, I named him Michael. The cherry tree and the owl became my best friends just having someone or something that I could talk to meant so much to me. Weird I know but being an only child and not having any friends I found comfort in the cherry tree and owl. That summer seem to go by so fast and before I knew it school was starting. So, there were five days out of the week that I was gone half the day. I hated being away and could hardly get through the day at school, the only thing I liked about school was the last day for the year.

When I was around fifteen, we had a really bad winter the nights dropped down to the twenties this was strange because it had never gotten that cold before. I was so worried that my cherry tree would die that winter, worried it would freeze. There was something I couldn’t explain to others but when my cherry tree was not healthy, I would end up not healthy vice versa. So, when my cherry tree was cold and freezing, I was cold and freezing. My mother helped me buy blankets that we wrapped around the trunk of tree, we bought two smudge pots and kept them on 24/7, while Michael the owl stood guard. During the warmth of the day, I would take a chair and go set and read to my cherry tree & Michael.

That winter seem to drag on forever and at times I felt really drained spending more time in bed. Though always setting outside my window would be Michael the owl watching guard. I always knew I would feel better when it warmed up and when my cherry tree felt better. Spring finally came and the nights warmed up again, my cherry tree only sustained a little frost bite on a few branches which was such a relief.

This tree and Michael seemed to be my guarding angels never letting any harm come to me. One day after school I was walking home from the bus stop when a car blew its tire and started towards me. I had no time to get out of its way, it was going to hit me, when all the sudden the car came to a stop like if it hit a wall.

I was shaking so, scared when I looked over and seen setting on top of the light pole was Michael the owl. That is when I knew that no matter what he would always be there for me, holding me safe within his wings.

As time does, it just flew by and before I knew it, I had graduated and was heading off to college. I picked a college close by so I could still come by and visit my cherry tree and Michael several times a week. I continued to grow older and was in my late twenties when my mother passed away of cancer. My father had passed away when I was born and my mother never remarried, I was their only child. So, the house that I grew up in, the place where my cherry tree lived was now left to me. I moved in and was happy to be back home though without my mother there it felt so lonely. My best friend from college moved in and rented a room from me that first year I was there so, I wasn’t alone. She thought it was strange that every afternoon I went and sat with my cherry tree and read it a story, she never asked me why? I met my husband at age thirty-two while at a farmers’ market, falling in love we married right away, and he moved in with me. We started a family right away having two girls and one boy throughout the years.

I was seven months pregnant with our last child and was out doing some pruning on my cherry tree when all the sudden my water broke. Contractions started coming right away dropping me to the ground. I leaned up against the tree and had the urge to push, scared I tried yelling and screaming. Everyone else was in the house and I did not know if they could hear me. That’s when I noticed Michael flying towards the house and within minutes, I seen my husband running my way. When my husband reached me, I grabbed his shoulder and told him it was too late that the baby was coming out.

My husband called 911 as I lay there on the ground while my other two children put towels underneath me. It only took several pushes, and I gave birth to a beautiful little girl. She was way too early to be born, we had to give her air by breathing into her little mouth. Before we knew it the ambulance was there and took over rushing her to the hospital, later being life flighted to children’s hospital. I asked my husband later how he knew what had happened, how he knew something was wrong. He told me that Michael had flown up to the kitchen window and was frantically tapping on it with his beak. When he walked outside to check on him Michael flew away so, he figured he better follow him that’s when he seen me lying on the ground. Because of Michael my daughter was saved and had no problems even being a preemie. I never stopped caring or loving my cherry tree or Michael so as my children grew, they began to do the same. Some days as I would head off to go read to my cherry tree, I would find one of my children already there reading a book. My family knew the story of how I ended up with the cherry tree and Michael and the bond we had. As my children grew it became apparent that my youngest child had the same bond as I did for the cherry tree and Michael. A connection, a feeling that you could not explain to others.

Like I said as it does; time just flew by, and I grew older as did my children who had children of their own. My children taught my grandchildren the importance of the cherry tree and how Michael was the protector, they learned how to love and take care of them. Even though we all continued to get older the two of them never aged, the cherry tree and Michael just stayed the same. There was never a moment that cherry tree and Michael where not loved. My children as they grew played in the yard where the cherry tree grew as did my grandchildren, there was always laughter, love and some tears surrounding my cherry tree.

I was now eighty-two and in bad health, age was getting the best of me. Though I was ailing I knew my cherry tree and Michael would live on for they still had a life with my children and grandchildren with many more books for them to read. As I laid in my bed that I had facing the window so I could see my cherry tree and Michael setting on the branches. The curtains were pulled back with satin ribbons and the sun was glistening in, you could see the streams of light dance with the breeze as they came through the window. The smell of the cherry blossoms filled the room, calming me with every breath I took.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, I looked to see my granddaughter standing there with a piece of paper in her hand. “Here grandma the cherry tree told me to give this to you” she said as she handed me the piece of paper.

“Thank you my dear” I said and we both said “I love you” and she scurried off to go play. My old, tired hands unfolded the piece of paper which wasn’t very big, it's at that time I realized what it was. It was the price tag off the cherry tree that I had left attached to it so many years ago never giving it a second thought. How could this be that piece of paper it should be worn down, damaged or aged yet this one was brand new like the day I had bought the tree. I felt my tears come rushing out flowing down my cheeks, I was shaking as I looked at the paper. Written on the one side was what it had said years ago, MY GIFT TO YOU, and on the other side was a faint set of wings though written over the wings said: WE ARE HERE WITH YOU WILL HOLD YOU CLOSE Squeezing the paper tight I held it my chest as I looked out the window then closed my eyes. I could feel my family there holding my hand as I took my last breath and drifted away:

Take the ashes from my bones and mix them in the ground.

Plant me with my cherry tree, in the soil all around.

For its this place of beauty for eternity I will lay.

I will nourish and grow along with this cherry tree every day.

I will listen to the soothing sounds of the brook nearby.

As I watch the snow fall on the mountains so high.

Admire the clouds as they drift through the royal blue sky.

Feel the rain in the spring as it falls gently from above.

Giving the nourishment so I can grow with love.

Come visit me every season smell the blossoms as they bloom.

Set underneath the branches that provide shade in the afternoon.

Bring a nice book to read, any genre is fine with me.

You’re welcome to rest your head upon the cherry tree.

please visit for while tell me about your day.

I am here to listen to everything you say.

Remember my dear I will always be here.

I am not gone, my life is not over you see,

For My life has just begun here with this cherry tree.