Do you know what the first two pictures are showing? They are chestnuts, fallen from a neighborhood tree. They start out in these green prickly pods, then open to reveal the nut. There is one very special chestnut tree in Amsterdam that has been a sign of hope to millions of people worldwide. It is referred to as The Anne Frank Tree. While Anne and the others were hiding, she was never able to go outside, but when she went to the attic and looked up, this was the only bit of nature she saw. Here is just a part of what she wrote about that tree in her diary "From my favorite spot on the floor I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree...as long as this exists, and I may live to see it, I cannot be unhappy." This tree was her one sign of hope, and today it fell. It had been sick since 1993 and almost half it's wood had rotted. Many legal battles ensued, with people fighting the decision to cut it down. The tree defenders finally won, and a steel support frame was made to keep the tree from falling. But fall it did, today. Even with steel supports. No one knows why, but the weather had been very bad. There is a time for everything, and when God means for our time to go, no efforts of man or steel can stop it. A symbol of hope for many is gone today, but there is a greater hope with us all, one that abides and is stronger than steel.
"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:20,22
Note on the pictures: First two taken by me. Third and fourth from the web. The fourth is looking out from Anne's room at how she saw the tree. Last picture is the fallen tree, picture taken by me from the T.V. news tonight.
26 comments:
Poor tree... i thought for a moment, those look like "rambutans" cos that is a tropical fruit over here.. so this is chestnut..
I guess it must be due to the weather then..
I saw the story about the tree today on the news, it is so sad. I ready The Diary of Anne Frank as a teenager and I still remember the tree from the story. I hope someone will save a cutting from the tree.
What kind of chestnuts are those in your neighbor's yard? They look a little different from the ones on our American Chestnut.
" There is a time for everything, and when God means for our time to go, no efforts of man or steel can stop it" your so right- there is a greater hope for us- this was beautiful! I remember reading the Diary Of A.F- I enjoyed this- thanks, just noticed that but wasn't able to have a look..touching-
great post it's amazing how an item, such as a tree has special meaning. thanks for leaving a comment on my blog re paris will do#2 this week. take care. rose
I knew at once what the first picture was. My first thought was: "Already?" I don't think I've seen any falling here yet.
When I saw Anne's picture I also remembered the connection. It was not all that long ago that I saw that quote. I had not heard that the tree had fallen. On the other hand I also didn't know it had still been standing for all these years. Anne's Diary was one of my favourite books back in my teens. I think I was 14-15 when I first read it, my copy was printed 1969.
Wonderful story. I hope that they can find a way to save that tree as well,
Jane
thank you for sharing this. It has always amazed me that Anne Frank had the hope and faith she did in light of the evil that pervaded her life. I like what you said about hope and Him...b/c for me...without Him....I never would have lived. He became my hope...my strength...'my tree of life' to live my best life.
Ginny, how interesting, but so sad. I had not seen this on the news so glad you shared with us. It's always sad when an old tree dies, but this one especially!
Thanks for visiting with me and welcoming me back home. :=)
I had not heard that news... how sad. Sometimes the tree looks ok from the outside, even has limbs and leaves... but the core is rotten and dead, filled with termites. Eventually, the decay starts showing on the outside as the bark falls away. Our tree that broke off during a recent storm was that way. People are like that too... many look ok on the outside, but without God on the inside they are spiritually dead.
a time to live and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, I agree with Gina, when it is our time we go and when God is ready for the tree to fall, no matter what man does to it, it falls. I love trees and any time one is lost, it makes me sad. thanks for sharing this and for the photos of your neighbors chestnuts. i have never seen one before. now i have, the only chesstnuts i know about is in the Christmas song
Thank you for sharing such a sweet post. I did not know the Anne Frank tree had fallen. Beautiful, comforting verse.
This is the first that I've heard of the Anne Frank tree falling. I knew that supports were needed, but I hadn't heard it fell. In a way it's sad that it is gone, but as you said, there is a time for everything.
To everything, there is a season.....! I wonder if that special tree left seedlings in it's place. I have enjoyed (maybe that's not the correct word to use) Anne Frank's diary in many forms from the book to the stage. I just finished reading "Sarah's Key" which focuses on the same issue, same period in time but in Paris. It's fact-based fiction and worth a read.
Best,
Bonnie
That is a great post. I had never heard that story before. Thank you for sharing!
P.S. Lily just turned two the first of July. I think that can be a "try anything" age. She is also fearless in the water. By the time one is four, they are a little more cautious about their world. This can be a good thing!
Best,
Bonnie
Man tries; Nature wins.
I learned many years ago from her diary about the tree she loved so much. I am heartbroken that it, like all of us, came to an end of life on this earth. It was inevitable. What a treasure it was for Anne to watch each day.
That's an inspiring post! Yes, Jesus in our lives is better than superman (the man of steel) ☺ Your post reminded me of a great sermon I heard recently based on this passage of Scriptrue: Job 14:7-9 "For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. [8] Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; [9] Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant."
Oh My---I had not heard that the Anne Frank Tree had fallen/died... I do remember reading about Anne's tree in her story when I read it many years ago...
Life and Death.... It is all around us... I read something recently about a woman who lost her aged mother --and at the same time, a new granddaughter was born... Sadness and then JOY.
Great post, my friend.
Hugs,
Betsy
This is a wonderful post Ginny. I love it. I have not seen a chestnut tree yet. And I didn't realize that it is a seed inside that pod.
The quote from Anne Frank's Diary is very touching. And I agree with you... when our time is up nothing can stop it. Only God knows. We only need to learn how to let go.
"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness . . . " the old hymn says. I agree!
I have never seen a chestnut tree, either! I always enjoyed teaching a unit on Anne Frank when I taught 7th/8th grade reading. I remember, too, the old black and white movie about her life that we watched after reading her story.
Oh that makes so so sad for some reason... I think of my little problems (they seem so big to me) and here is an example, a reminder of real actual suffering, and the hope a living thing can give.
Wow! That's sad to read about that tree. However... when the time comes... the time comes. Isn't it true for all of us? Comforting in an odd way.
Sad but true. As King Solomon said;
Everything Has Its Time
Ecclesiastes 3:1
To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
I am so thankful that I have a stronghold that with stands all weather and everything put against it.On the Solid Rock I Stand.
Blessings,Ruth
What a moving and somber event. What a tremendous reminder of the power of life over its beginnings as well as its endings.
I'm actually a bit speechless - I had seen part of an article but didn't read it so didn't know about the Anne Frank tree dying til now. How true - when it is our time - no man can stop it.
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