My Magnolia

When I was a young preteen girl, my family lived in Berne, Indiana. Along with a very interesting stand of banana trees (yes, you read that correctly: banana trees in Indiana), our yard had this incredibly old and beautiful magnolia tree. Its residence was right outside our kitchen window so, in the spring, the fragrant and ornate display of its saucer-like pink and white blossoms could be admired while washing dishes. I loved that tree. What made it even more special, besides its inherent beauty, was that it had a long, sturdy branch about six feet above the ground on which one could climb up and sit for hours. I used to bring books up there and read, surrounded by a perfect canopy of loveliness. While there were many other things about Berne I regretted leaving, I was particularly sad to leave behind my magnolia tree when we moved away, and have always remembered it fondly. To this day, my favorite blossoming tree is the magnolia, and whenever I see one dressed in its springtime splendor, I get excited. (Ok, I get excited about all spring blossoms, but magnolias are really exciting!).

Fast forward to today.....

Since this is the first house we've owned where we can see ourselves staying a long time (Lord willing!), one of our first yard renovations for the house was to buy and plant a magnolia tree. Yesterday, we went to a local nursery, carefully selected the right tree for our price range, and gave it a home in our front yard where it can be enjoyed both by passersby on the street and us through our living room picture window. I hope that it is happy in its new home and will grow to be a tree that we can enjoy and love.