Around ten years ago or even more, Dad planted two mahogany seedlings at the open space opposite our house. At first, he had no knowledge that those were mahogany trees, he just wanted to plant trees for the shade they could provide especially that the area was our subdivision’s plaza where the people constructed a basketball court through the effort of our city mayor.
The trees had grown big and sturdy, although during fall, falling leaves had been irritating some neighbors and were complaining because they had to sweep the dead leaves as the trees tirelessly shed off their dried foliage. We, too, had been exasperated about the complains and wanted to cut down the trees to please the people.
However, a Presidential Decree prohibits cutting down trees especially valued species like narra and mahogany. We could trim them but we could never cut down down.
Until, a few days ago, typhoon Pedring struck Metro-Manils with vicious wind reaching about 170 kph. In a matter of few hours, one of the mahogany trees was uprooted and tumbled toward the basketball court. Fortunately, the court had been deserted but unfortunately, I did not have a camera to capture the incident. As the tree slammed the concrete floor, it pulled up with its roots the water pipe and broke the water line rendering the entire subdivision without water for many hours.
Those trees remind me of Dad and the fallen mahogany tree reminds me of Dad’s passing; unexpected and sudden. Life, indeed, is not within our control and like Dad’s mahogany tree, the time will come when we would need to give it up. Are you ready?
The trees had grown big and sturdy, although during fall, falling leaves had been irritating some neighbors and were complaining because they had to sweep the dead leaves as the trees tirelessly shed off their dried foliage. We, too, had been exasperated about the complains and wanted to cut down the trees to please the people.
However, a Presidential Decree prohibits cutting down trees especially valued species like narra and mahogany. We could trim them but we could never cut down down.
Until, a few days ago, typhoon Pedring struck Metro-Manils with vicious wind reaching about 170 kph. In a matter of few hours, one of the mahogany trees was uprooted and tumbled toward the basketball court. Fortunately, the court had been deserted but unfortunately, I did not have a camera to capture the incident. As the tree slammed the concrete floor, it pulled up with its roots the water pipe and broke the water line rendering the entire subdivision without water for many hours.
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| I don't have a camera but Dad's fallen mahogany looks almost like this. Image c/o Google Images |
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