SkyWatch Friday-The Glory of the day

I'll be the first to admit, this isn't the most stunning sky photo you've ever seen, nor is it the best sky photo I've ever taken...that's where the {heart} of this photo comes into play. We all know the expression "A photo is worth a thousand words", well....sometimes it's also worth a thousand memories.
You see, this tree sits in my grandparents front yard, in a small town in Kansas. When my grandparents first built their house 35 years ago, they didn't have any trees. And then, about 20 years ago, they planted this tree, along with another oak. They were just baby trees when planted, and didn't like the harsh conditions the Kansas plains can give. Brutally hot in the summer, and Bitterly cold in the winter. My grandmother has always loved plants, and has a very good green thumb....wish she would have passed it on to me :-) She tended these trees, had specialists come out to see them, and even went so far as having them injected with some Tree Vitamins a few times a year, EVERY YEAR, for the better part of the first 10 years they were in the ground--it obviously worked! LOL
I have watched these trees grow, as I have grown. Seen them change, as I have, through the years. Its hard to imagine their yard without them now. They stand so strong and majestic, even through the long, cold winters. But in my mind's eye, if I travel way back through my thousands of memories of Summers spent running through their tractor sprinkler (until they got a sprinkler system) or Winter's sledding down their front hill, I can still see their yard before these beauties were planted.
On the day that I snapped this picture, I had just made the 12 hour drive to their house with my two children, for what will likely be the last time. When I pulled in their drive, and felt the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair with the cool breeze it brought, I took notice of the sound of the rustling leaves. Which then took my eye to the contrast of the new spring green branches to the deep blue sky spotted with fluffy white clouds. At that moment, thousands of memories flooded my mind, and my heart. My grandparents have aged greatly in the last few months, and my Grandfather is currently in a Special Care unit at a hospital here in Texas now. They will never be making it back to their house, and it's unlikely I ever will either. It's the only home I've ever known, and thus very bittersweet. But with a photo like this, which to you just looks like a tree on a nice day, to me, symbolizes love, growth, age, and ultimately....change.



Thank you for stopping by! I'd love to know you here! Have a wonderful weekend, and always remember photos don't always have to be about the best shot, they need heart to them too!!
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