The Tree House

This is a story about a little girl who wanted a tree house.  Her father, a carpenter, promised to build her one.  Together, they picked out the perfect tree, overlooking the pond, and planned just how the tree house would look.  Just when her father was ready to start on the tree house, he got sick.  The medication for his illness made him too sick to build the tree house that year.  Next year, he promised, the medication would help him get better, and they would build the tree house.  The little girl told him not to worry that the treatment would make him better, and they would build the tree house next year.  But, next year, the illness was back again, and this time medication and treatment were not going to help him get better.  The father was sad and worried that he would not be able to keep his promise to his daughter.  While he was in the hospital, her father worked very hard, even though his right hand did not work very well, and he drew a picture of the tree house he wanted to build.  He hoped the picture would be enough to keep his promise to his daughter.

Then something magical happened.  One day, someone came to the little girl's house and measured the tree.  Another day, lumber was delivered.  On a bright, sunny Saturday morning, people came to the house.  They brought tools, food, an auger to dig holes, and a beautiful red roof.  On that day a tree house was built, and a father was able to keep his promise to his daughter.   And, his daughter said that it was the best day of her life.

This is also the story about how a community - family, coworkers, friends, strangers, and local businesses - helped a father keep his promise.  Thank you to all who were involved "building" the tree house, especially Matt Willibey, Mark Wagner, and the "building crew" from the East Concord Fire Hall, the Preschool Learning Center for their generous donations toward supplies and food, the "guys" at Gui's Hardware for the hardware, House of Steel for the beautiful roof, Tri County Tool Rental for the auger, Lowe's for the discount on materials and delivery, and the Holland Class of 1982 for their generous donations.  A special thank you to Mr. Sikora, Mr. Cain, and the Guilds for all their help with the build.

Reprinted with permission from Jill Hemingway.