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Dawn's NotesThose Kite Eating Trees and Snags Of Life For one, Charlie Brown repeatedly struggles with trying to fly a kite, only to have his kite devoured by the "Kite-Eating Tree" over and over. The tree, known as "Kiteus Eatemupus," has a personality of its own. The tree is not anchored to the ground, can gobble up inanimate objects, and once went to Charlie Brown’s door much to Charlie Brown’s dismay! The Tree even devoured Schroder's piano on one occasion, but the Tree is best known for eating Charlie Brown’s kites, sometimes lemon-flavored kites and sometimes strawberry-flavored. It seems that almost every time Charlie Brown tries to fly his kite, his kite ends up tangled in the Tree and is promptly eaten! “Poor Charlie Brown,” you might say. Once in 1958, Charlie Brown actually got a kite to fly before Kite-Eating Tree could eat it, only to have the kite combust in front of him! But kite flying is not Charlie Brown's only challenge. He never gets Christmas cards or valentines, and he only receives rocks when he goes trick or treating on Halloween. Charlie Brown is the manager and pitcher for the ball team, and their team never wins. Their all-time record was 2-930! “Poor Charlie Brown!” Every autumn Lucy promises to hold the football so Charlie Brown can kick it, but Lucy, except for once, pulls the football back before he can kick it. One time, after Charlie Brown had been sick in the hospital, Lucy did let Charlie Brown try to kick the football, but he kicked her hand instead. How discouraging! To finally get a chance to kick the ball and fail! “Poor Charlie Brown,” you might say again. Even though life does not go well for Charlie Brown, he never gives up! Even though he becomes sad and discouraged over and over, he keeps on going! Have you ever felt like Charlie Brown with so many challenges—like things keep going wrong for you? In life, you too probably face many "Kite-Eating Trees," not literal trees that gobble up your kites, but other struggles that have the potential to discourage you. Flat tires, cars or lawn mowers that will not start or damaged roofs from windstorms! Refrigerators or air conditioners quit! Irritations, challenges, and things that are not on our agenda, not in our budget, and not in our plans. Another snag, another “Kite-Eating Tree.” Perhaps your Kite-Eating Tree is facing an illness, dealing with pain or an injury. Definitely not in the plan for your life. Or worst of all, you lose a spouse, a family member or close friend by death. Being alone or losing a child was definitely not in your road-map of life—not what you would have expected. You may find your life is in shambles, and the pain may be excruciating. Memories, regrets, or an intense longing to be with your loved one may make your heart ache. Sometimes our children or grandchildren struggle, and we worry about their safety, their health, their decisions! Challenges, snags, and those Kite-Eating Trees always seem to be waiting with snarled limbs ready to reach out to grab us! Taxes and utility bills go up, and medical bills may stretch our budgets. After the death of a loved one there are so many things to learn, new challenges with which to cope, and less energy. You could probably make your own list of snags in life, your Kite-Eating Trees, that threaten your finances, your health, and challenge your determination to keep on going! But what other choice do we have than to keep on going? If you give up, the Kite-Eating Tree might just win. Sometimes in life those Kite-Eating Trees cannot be avoided—some of the snags are in God's hands and beyond our control. But sometimes there are things that we can do to keep out of reach of the snarly tree branches—things such as paying attention to our health, trying to eat better, and exercise more. Friends, faith and prayer can also give us a big boost! We may be challenged, but, no, we are not powerless! Like Charlie Brown we must not give up—we must keep going! And a few of those Old Kite-Eating Trees might just be disappointed when there are no kites to munch! Call about the next "Living Life after Loss" Group at: Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW, Group Facilitator |
