I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farm house, and after he had just finished
a rough first day on the job; a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric
drill quit and his ancient one-ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat
in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward
the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches
with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His
tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his
wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got
the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. “Oh, that's my trouble
tree,” he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for
sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just
hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them.
Then in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out
in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the
night before."
Author Unknown
