Sue’s hair and skirt were blowing in the wind. Tears of frustration were on her cheeks. When each of her five children were born, she and Ron, her husband, had planted a pine tree in the backyard, naming them the same as the newborn child. Her father had done the same thing with Sue and her brothers and sisters. When she married and moved away from home, she was sad to leave her father’s forest of family, so she carried on this family tradition.

She stood now above the tree planted last year for her newest daughter, Rose. Sue took extra care of Rose’s tree because Rose no longer lived. The winter had been too harsh for her newborn infant and pneumonia had taken her life. Sue found it difficult to leave the tree behind, but she knew she had to get her other four
children ready to go to their Grandmother’s house. Ron would be home soon and he promised to take her out for a quiet dinner. It had been a long time since she had gotten away from the house and children. She felt burdened with too much responsibility.  “Mom,” Melissa called from the back door, breaking into Sue’s thoughts, “Tommy won’t pick up his toys.”   “I’ll be in, in just a minute, Melissa,” Sue answered.

Sue knew it would be difficult to forget Rose, but the joy from her other children would help her enjoy the gifts she still had. She turned from the small tree and slowly walked back to the house. Sue was grateful for her twelve-year old daughter, Melissa. Melissa had taken on a lot of the family responsibilities. She had been caring for the other children during Sue’s trips to the hospital during Rose’s illness. Melissa had made sure the children stayed out of trouble and she
even fixed simple meals.

 Ron’s job required him to be out of town a lot, even if he wanted to be with her during the time Rose spent in the hospital. He could not get time off and could not afford to lose his job, so Sue carried a lot of the burden by herself. Elizabeth, who just turned seven, helped Melissa with five-year old Jamie. And Tommy,
the only boy, was at that most difficult stage, two years old and always into trouble.

Sue had difficulty finding patience with the children. The smallest problem would upset her. Just this morning, Tommy had spilt a small glass of water on the carpet. It wasn’t important or unusual, but Sue reacted  as if it had been red paint. Normally, she would have mopped it up, scolding him with a few words.

Sue waited for Ron to get home so they could relax this evening and discuss the family. Ron had been our of town for over two weeks and Sue needed and missed him. The telephone rang as she stepped into the house. “I’ll get it, “ Jamie called. “Mom, Grandma said to tell you that she can’t watch us tonight. She forgot she has a bingo game at the Senior Citizen Center and she promised she would help with the refreshments.” Sue was upset at the news because she didn’t know anyone else who would be able to watch the kids. “Tell Gra