the Child and the Apple Tree

tells that one day, there was a large apple tree with sprawling branches, filled with fruit, strong in trunk and branches. Next to the tree, there was a child, close to it, playing and frolicking, climbing its branches, and eating its fruit. And when tired from playing, the child would sleep under it, sheltered by its shade and its large branches, and this was a daily occurrence.

Days passed and the child grew up and became preoccupied with other matters, so he stopped visiting the tree. However, one day he returned to it, feeling sad. The tree asked him to play with her, but the boy replied, "I am no longer a child, and I need some money to buy necessities." The tree replied, "I don't have money, but you can take the apples from my branches, sell them, and use the profits to buy what you need." The boy gathered all the apples, happily took them, and left without returning. The tree felt saddened.

Years later, the child returned. As usual, the tree asked him to come and play, but the man said, "I have become a grown man, I have a family to take care of, and I need to build a house. Can you help me?" The tree replied, "I don't have a house, but you can take from my branches as much as you need to build your house." The man did so, took the branches, and left happily.

As days and years passed, the tree remained alone and sad, missing the child who had grown up into a man and no longer visited her. Suddenly, it was a very hot summer day, the man came to her. The tree was delighted to see him and asked him to play with her, but the man said, "I have grown old and I want to rest from the hardships of the world. I want to live a period of relaxation, and I wish to sail away from people, but I do not have a boat to sail with." The tree replied, “Take from my trunk and make yourself a boat.” So, he took from her trunk, made the boat, and sailed away from her, not to return for many years.

After all those years, the man returned to the tree. She had grown accustomed to him returning to ask for something, so she preempted him by saying, "I'm sorry, but I have grown too old and I have nothing to give you." She told him there were no apples to eat or sell. The man replied, "That's okay. I no longer have teeth to bite them with."

The tree continued, telling the old man, "I no longer have a trunk for you to play on or climb." The old man replied, "I have no need for that, as I have grown old and cannot do such things." Feeling saddened by her inability to fulfill her wishes, the tree realized she had almost nothing left to offer and felt like she was nearing death, with her roots becoming weak.

The old man responded, saying, "All I want now is to find some peace after all these years. I just need a place to rest." The tree replied, "These are my roots, all that remains of me. You can sit and rest by my side. Sit and recline here as you wish."

The wisdom derived from the story

emphasizes the importance of appreciating all the blessings bestowed upon us by God, such as the blessing of parents, health, the beauty of nature, and its abundance. It reminds us of the necessity to continuously preserve these blessings. The author liked the tree to a mother who remains to nurture her child until he grows up, sacrificing her entire life to provide for his needs and offering him everything he seeks until she exhausts all her capabilities and becomes unable to give anymore. As the child grows into a young man and then an old man, he only realizes the value of his parents when he has lost everything and seeks comfort from them again, acknowledging that parents are the source of true comfort.