Growth

It is hard to notice growth when you are around something every day. I'm really talking about physical growth, but the same can be said about spiritual and emotional growth as well. Today, it hit me that things change gradually each day until eventually it is hard to remember what things looked like in the beginning.

Today, I went back home. I feel so at peace there. There is nothing else like it. I feel 12 again when I walk through the doors of the church and it is all I can do not to come forward when the pastor invites the children to come up for the children's sermon. Alas somewhere along the way, I grew. I am around me every day. Obviously, there is not much choice in the matter. When you are around something so much, growth is not something you notice until it hits you between the eyes.

Today while in the Upper Room Sunday School class, a lady called me over (well she accidentally called me my Mom's name several times even though she knows very well that I am Jennifer.) She pointed out the window and pointed to this tree right outside. She told me the story about how my Mom planted that apple tree when we lived there. You see when my Mom planted that tree, that tree was merely a twig. My goodness, it had grown so much since we left. I imagine that those that lived there saw it grow over time and barely noticed it's growth. I also imagine it's the same with children that grow within the church. If you aren't paying attention, one minute a child is born and the next they are off to college.

The thing that always bothered me when we left is that I wondered if people would remember me later. Was I invisible so that people didn't notice that I had even left or had I left my imprint on that small town? I realized today that we did make an impact. We left behind this tree. A tree that is still growing every day.