Three versions of an allegory using trees from a forest to demonstrate that different people in family have different gifts all of which are essential for the family to function.

1. Family story Richard Gardner March 4, 2019
rev. Jan. 4, 2023
Version 1
My mother’s family was at war within itself many generations ago. One day my great-grandparents
called their descendants together to try to end this. They assigned each to bring a branch from their
favorite tree to a family gathering planned for a week hence. Each child went out to collect a branch
from its favorite tree. When the family assembled for the gathering my ancestors told each to present
their branch and tell why they picked it. One child showed an oak branch saying he admired its
strength. What he did not see was the disease at its heart which was killing it. Another child brought a
sweet-smelling sassafras branch saying it admired the smell. What it did not know is even though the
tree could heal many diseases it was a tree easily cut down. A third child brought dogwood because it
bloomed early in the spring. This tree though never grew straight nor tall. Another child admired the
tulip tree because of its pretty flower. This tree is among the most fragile in the forest, breaking in wind
long before other trees. A girl brought a holly because she admired the berries in the winter. This was a
female tree which despite its beauty many considered unworthy because of its gender. A hemlock was
brought because it grows straight and sturdy. When its branch was turned over insects were seen
sucking its life away. Someone brought sumac because of the nutritious tea made from its berries
without realizing that it often grew so thick that the trees starved the soil of nutrients. So this went until
at last every child presented what they brought. Every branch had strengths. At the same time, every
branch had weaknesses. The lesson was passed off lightly and my mother’s family remained at war
within itself.
Version 2
My mother’s family was at war within itself many generations ago. One day my great-grandparents
called the cousins together to try to end this. To each they handed a branch from trees with different
traits. To one was given an apple branch. Even though it was full of kinks and never grew straight, it
produced beautiful flowers and sweet fruit. A peach tree branch was given to another. The fruit has a
hard pit in the middle that does not detract from how wonderful it is to eat. A chestnut oak branch was
given to another child. The tree grows slow and may take 100 years to mature. However, the wood is
strong and good for building. The next child was given a choke cherry branch. The fruit is very messy
and tart but feeds many birds. Black walnut was given to a child. The taste of the nut is too strong to
eat, but the husk makes a good dark dye. The next child was given staghorn sumac. The tree does not
grow very tall and never penetrates the edge of a forest, but the berries make a nutritious tea.
Sassafras was naturally given to the next child. This tree is always in the shade of other deep forest
trees. However, it is considered one of the most important medicinal plants in the forest. Holly was

2. given to a pair of boy and girl twins who constantly squabble about who is better. The bright red berries
of the female tree are important food for birds but need a male tree to ensure they are produced. A tulip
tree was handed to a young child. It is one of the most fragile trees in the forest but produces a flower
of great beauty which often falls into our hands of its own accord.
The different tree branches were given out until each child had one. By the end of the morning even the
dullest understood that although every tree has a downside, it has a purpose and a place.
Unfortunately, many did not understand how this lesson applied to the family and the warring
continued.
Version 3
My mother’s family many generations ago was at war within itself. One day my
great-great-great-grandparents called all the cousins together to end the warring. In their arms were
many tree branches which were passed out to every cousin. An apple branch was given to one child
because it produced pretty flowers and sweet fruit. A second child was given chestnut oak, known for
its strength. A pair of holly branches was given to boy and girl twins because it too comes in male and
female. Osage orange was handed out because it made good mallet heads. Hickory went to another
child so it could be used as a handle for mallets. Black birch and white birch branches were given to
cousins of different skin colors to remind them that although different colors they were still cousins and
equally important. A branch from a towering spruce used for ship masts was given to the shortest and
one from a scrub pine used to seal ship hulls to the tallest. A different branch was passed to every child
to teach them that even though everyone is different the family was not whole without each of them.
Unfortunately, the lesson was soon forgotten.