Ash to Maple

In many a movie, trees have personalities and power. I have been thinking about trees a lot lately. What if all of nature in in sympathy with us, with human beings?  I heard a true love story of a husband and wife and in their back yard, two trees of different variety intertwined in an embrace for the length of their marriage. The couple would look out at the tree(s) and each knew which one represented them. When the wife died, so did her tree...Another story is that of an ash tree.  A woman started her career and a gift from her employer was a tree, one she could select. Her husband picked an ash tree, she wanted a maple. As time went on, the tree grew, spitting keys and making a mess. The woman was busy with her career and taking care of herself took a back seat to work. She became ill, and decided that her wellness was crucial and took steps toward healing. The tree became sick as work became a heavy burden...the woman was getting well but knew that if she continued to work, her wellness would be in jeopardy. She took courageous steps, claimed her life and decided to retire, the tree spit up black spiny balls, coughing up its sickness.  The tree died, the woman lives, strong, vibrant, ready for her blessed future.  Sympathy?  Empathy?  You tell me?  The tree started with her at the beginning of her career, suffered when she suffered and died just as she closed the door on a chapter in her life to open the next one. A maple, her favourite tree, takes up a place in her lawn and in her heart.  A sapling, a new beginning. The ash, it doesn't mind, it too, will renew, because seeds of it's life flew far and wide while it lived and loved.  Nature as nurture?  We need not look far to feel and know love.