The Story of Little Saplingf

Sapling story

Uploaded by

maheshprasadshukla98

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

0% found this document useful (0 votes)

25 views

The Story of Little Saplingf

Sapling story

Uploaded by

maheshprasadshukla98

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

You are on page 1/ 7

The Story of Little Sapling

Leslie J. Rogers & Dennis Embry

Once upon a time there was a great forest with a little stream that
ran through it. In this forest lived a small, young tree, named Little
Sapling. On the outside, Little Sapling looked like any other tree.
He was quiet and small with little green leaves. Little did the other
plants and animals in the forest know he kept quiet because he was
scared of the wind, rain, and sometimes even the sun. So much so
that if you looked real close at Little Sapling, his leaves trembled.
But, Little Sapling had a rule that he would only speak out loud if
he was happy, not sad or afraid. He was afraid to speak to the other
animals and plants about what he felt deep down. So for a long time
Little Sapling sat quiet trying to not let other trees and animals see
his leaves tremble or his fear show.

Then one day…one of the trees in the forest spoke to Little Sapling.
It was the biggest, oldest tree in the forest-Wise Tree. Wise Tree
asked Little Sapling, “Why are you so quiet?”
Copyright © 2007, PAXIS Institute, All rights reserved. – Page 1
Little Sapling was afraid to tell the Big, Strong, Wise Tree the
truth.

Little Sapling waited a long time before he said “Wise Tree, the
wind is blowing my leaves. The wind is reminding me of the bad
things that happened to me when I was a baby seed. I have thoughts
that remind me of being blown here in the middle of the night away
from my parents. I don’t want the wind to blow anymore. I want it
to go away.”

“Ah,” said Wise Tree, “What feelings are you having?”

Little Sapling said, “I don’t know Wise Tree. My stomach hurts

and it feels like I can barely breathe.” Wise Tree said, “It sounds
like you feel afraid. What do you think when you are afraid?”

“Mmmmm…,” said Little Sapling. “I have thoughts about the wind

and rain making a big storm that can knock me down and drown
my roots. When the rain falls, I try to shut my leaves as tight as I
can so water won’t get in them. Sometimes I have bad thoughts
about the sun and try to hide my leaves so the sun won’t see them.
I worry the sun will shine so brightly that my leaves will fall off.
When the wind blows I try to bend away from it so I won’t break. I
have done everything to try and make myself less afraid and braver
and to make these feelings and thoughts go away. But no matter
how I move the wind, rain, and sun are always there. Nothing I do
makes these go away. So most of the time I just sit, scared. ”

Wise Tree said “Well that does sound scary. I have been afraid of
being blown away and losing my leaves too. Sometimes I still get
scared of those things, especially when there is a big storm or when
I hear the animals even talking about a storm coming. ”

Little Sapling said, “You get afraid big, Wise Tree? But you are so
big!!!!”

Copyright © 2007, PAXIS Institute, All rights reserved. – Page 2

“Yes, I do.” replied Wise Tree. For a long time, I tried to bend
away from the sun but noticed that only the trees growing towards
the sun grew, only trees that opened their leaves when they were
afraid and received rain grew, only trees who relaxed in the wind
did not break. In the end, I learned I needed to accept my bad
thoughts, scary feelings, along with the wind, rain, and sun. What
was really hurting me and making me feel yucky was all the work I
was doing trying to get away from them. My leaves weren’t getting
water or light. My trunk was tired from trying to get away from the
wind. So I decided to sit and accept my thoughts, feelings, and the
wind, rain, and sun like the other trees were doing.”

“How can I learn to just accept my thoughts, feelings, the wind,

rain, and sun?” asked Little Sapling.

“I will teach you a way,” said Wise Tree. “Start by taking one of
my leaves.”

Little Sapling took a leaf from Wise Tree.

“Now, Little Sapling” explained Wise Tree, “write a thought and a

feeling you have on the leaf.”

Little Sapling looked doubtful, but did it anyway…trusting Wise

Tree who was very wise and kind.

Little Sapling held the leaf after writing a thought and feeling on it.
“I am trembling and my stomach hurts.”

“Ah,” said Wise Tree, “many feel that way when they think or feel
uncomfortable thoughts.”

Little Sapling asked, “What do I do with this leaf with a thought

and feeling on it now?”

“Let the wind take it,” explained Wise Tree.

The thought and feeling leaf caught the wind, floated and fell down
to the stream below. Little Sapling and Wise Tree watched the leaf
float away.

“What do I do now? Where will that leaf go?” asked Little Sapling.

Wise Tree said, “It will go where ever the stream takes it.

Wise Tree then asked Little Sapling to take another leaf and write
his thoughts and feelings on it.

Little Sapling did what Wise Tree suggested. Again, both trees
watched the second thought and feeling float in the wind, drifting
away, but then the wind suddenly blew it back and it landed on
Little Sapling.

Little Sapling, then asked Wise Tree, “What do I do now? My leaf

came back?”

Wise Tree replied, “Sometimes leaves come back. Just because we

let them go, does not mean they are gone forever. Sometimes we
need leaves to keep us alive. When they fall and float away in the
fall, we need them to come back in the spring to catch the rain, and
sun so we can grow. Sometimes a leaf floats away only to be
blown back again. Sometimes the leaf is gone forever. Watching
leaves come and go….well that’s just part of being a tree.” said
Wise Tree.

Little Sapling sighed and said, “You are right. So what you are
telling me is that thoughts and feelings come and go and that the
very things I think are hurting me help me too.”

Wise Tree smiled and spoke, “That is very good, Little Sapling.
Our thoughts and feelings are like our leaves. Our thoughts and
feelings just come and go, all of the time. They are part of living.”

“I have a thought, Little Sapling,” exclaimed. “What if I write my
thoughts and feelings on a leaf each day or week? I think that
would help me practice letting them come and go.”

Wise Tree was especially pleased. “Ah, Little Sapling, you are
going to grow to be a great tree. You have learned what all great
trees must learn as saplings. I learned it from the trees that stood
here before me. You have learned it from me, and you will teach it
to your little seedlings.”