Theme: Humility, trust in God

The lemon tree

Ms. Jacira lived in a small town in the countryside. Her house had a huge backyard where she planted an orchard with several different trees that produced delicious fruit.

The orchard was very well taken care of by Ms. Jacira and the gardener who came in from time to time to prune and clean the yard.

The fruits produced there were appreciated by everybody. Every afternoon Ms. Jacira would go to her orchard to eat some of them. Her children also enjoyed it a lot. They brought their friends. They climbed the branches and ate, guavas, jabuticabas, acerolas, tangerines right there…

The trees lived cheerfully there, fulfilling what life proposed to them. They used the resources they received to produce the best fruits they could, and they were fulfilled for contributing to the food and health of that family.

Only one of the trees did not feel fulfilled. It was the lemon tree. He noticed the joy of the people and the praise they gave to the fruits they ate there in the orchard, and he was saddened because no one ate his fruits. Never, no one had even tasted one of his lemons.

He felt useless.

- I'm good for nothing! Nobody eats my lemons! I don't know why I'm still standing in this orchard - those were the things he thought.

Sometimes he was even embarrassed because he was always treated very well. Ms. Jacira always picked the fruit gently so as not to damage the branches, watered the roots with plenty of water when it took a long time to rain, and regularly called the gardener to fertilize and prune it as necessary.

Despite the disappointment he felt, believed that his performance was not good, the lemon tree did not give up trying to always do his best.

- I do my part and that's all it's up to me to do! - he thought. – I can't force anyone to like my lemons, but at least I have a clear conscience!

And then the days passed...

The lemon tree, with humility, produced beautiful lemons, but not even the birds pecked them.

Every two or three days, Ms. Jacira would come with a little bag and pick several lemons. Nobody understood why.

– I think she collects them to throw them in the garbage, so they don't fall here. It seems that she doesn't even want those fruits on the orchard floor – some thought.

One day, however, something different happened: Ms. Jacira arrived at the orchard with her neighbor, Ms. Cida.

They came with several little bags and Ms. Jacira said:

– Cida, my friend, feel free, pick whatever fruit you want. Our trees have produced a lot and delicious fruits. But I want to suggest something to you be sure to pick lemons. They are spectacular, full of juice and flavor. I can't stand without my lemons in my kitchen! I'm used to using them for everything. In the summer I make lemonades to refresh and, in the winter, teas with lemon to ward off the flu. I have learned delicious recipes, like that lemon pie that I serve whenever I have guests. Not to mention that I use lemon to season salads and fried foods. Above all, this wonderful lemon is the best medicine when my stomach is not feeling well, to help with digestion. You can pick several, Cida, because this tree produces many. It’s a blessing! This lemon tree deserves my best care.

The lemon tree could not even believe what he had just heard. Suddenly it all made sense. He understood that its fruits were not eaten there but used in many ways in the kitchen and that Ms. Jacira relied heavily on them. The lemon tree felt useful and happy and thought:

“It's good that I never stopped doing my job! I shouldn´t have doubted. If she took care of me, it was because she wanted me well.”

Nothing changed in the routine of the orchard, in the times that followed, except the learning that the lemon tree and the other trees had: our part in life is always to serve, doing our best. God is responsible for the rest and if we do our part He will also do His.

Translation:
Larissa Martine - larissa_am@hotmail.com

marcelapradacontato@gmail.com