Beech Tree News Network

Last week, I asked my friend, Josh Hampton, to create an original design for a sign I want to put on my Walnut tree in the backyard.  That particular tree, and the nearby vicinity, is the site of much conflict and carnage.  It is our farm’s version of the West Bank, as far as our animals are concerned, anyway.
    We have two Beagles; the oldest, Copper, is a purebred.  I know, I know, I swore after Scout, the Border Collie who herded automobiles, I’d never have another purebred on the place; however, I made an exception for Copper, because his owner was afraid the dog was going to mourn himself to death after their family lost Copper’s running buddy, a cute little Cocker Spaniel.  Long story longer, we had a Beagle, Milly, so I ended up with Copper, and he chases rabbits morning, noon and night, which is what Beagles do, especially purebreds.  I could live with that, but he also chases other small animals, including my cat, Figaro, and an occasional squirrel, who is just trying to forage for the left-over nut under the Walnut tree, which brings us back to the sign Josh Hampton designed for me.  Oh, I forgot to add, Figaro, being the opportunist he is, makes the most of being treed by catching and eating birds, creating even more carnage about the grounds.

    The sign Josh created for me states simply, COEXIST.  A Beagle holds the letters C and O on his back, the bird is perched on the letter O, the cat is perched on the letters E and X, and the squirrel sits at the end of the word, minding his own beeswax.  I’ve printed the sign onto decal paper, sprayed it with acrylic sealer, and attached it to a hanging plywood board.  I know animals can’t read, but the sign isn’t for them, it’s for me.  Coexist has always been my mantra, even when I was younger and didn’t know what a mantra was or that I even had one.
    I hate it when people or animals, or people and animals for that matter, don’t get along.  I’m not so naïve as to think I will ever live in a world void of conflict, but I’m with the camp who has adopted the attitude, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)
    I grew up in a house filled with conflict.  My stepsister, Lorrie, would not keep her mouth shut.  I think my stepmom could have beaten her to death, and Lorrie would have argued with Mom till her last breath.  I was always trying to get my sister to hush or trying to appease her with something so she wouldn’t upset Mom.  There were times when I pulled Lorrie from her bed on school mornings because I heard Mom’s feet hit the stairs, and I knew all hell was going to break loose if she got to Lorrie’s room and found her still under the covers.
 I was the peace keeper in the family.  Notice, I didn’t say peace maker.  Peace makers are willing to take on conflict to ensure peace down the road.  (A good example is Jesus Christ and his interaction with the Pharisees, the Romans and the Sanhedrin.)  Peace keepers want peace so badly they will suffer detriment to themselves and loss of bettering the situation if it means there will be no conflict now.  That’s who I always was, and to some extent, still am today. 
Being a peace keeper will back up on you from time to time, and occasionally, I’ll go off on an unsuspecting family member or animal over some minor infraction.  After church on Sunday, my granddaughter, in one of her Diva moments, took off the socks and shoes her mom had just put onto her feet, because she wanted Gee (that’s me) to put them onto her feet.  Her mom got very angry—who could blame her—and a major fight ensued. 
When I had had just about all my coexisting soul could take, I intervened. 
“Sabria!” I said, “Of all the stupid things to fight with your mom over!  Socks and shoes!  Really?  You’re going to fight over socks and shoes!  You need to pick your battles.  It doesn’t matter who puts on your socks and shoes.  If you’re going to fight with somebody over something, fight with them over something important, like cotton candy suckers or McDonald’s chicken nuggets, not socks and shoes!”
Sabria sat in stunned silence for a few seconds.  “What’s battles?” she asked.
I had to laugh.
You know those verses in the Bible that foretell a time of peace during which the lion will lie down with the lamb.  That’s impressive, I’ll have to admit, but what would really get my attention would be seeing my granddaughter sitting quietly while her mother combs her hair or my Beagle sharing his feed bowl with my cat.
When I get to Heaven, God will show me to my tree, and on the tree will hang a sign that reads simply, COEXIST.