Creative Corner - Tree Girl

by Chelsee
           On the Saturday of the last full week in June, my family found out that someone wanted to buy our home in Gilmer.  We had only sold two other houses and it had been six years since we sold our last house, so everyone was worried.  Dad worried about how he was going to get everything to fit in our tiny storage building, Mom was concerned about how my family was going to organize the storage building to make unpacking easier on us, and I was worried about not being able to find friends when we moved.  This worried me because my siblings and I had not made very many good friends in our five years living in Gilmer.  I had a friend, but she was always busy.  My sisters had made best friends, but my brothers did not have many friends at all.  We were eager to find out what other homeschoolers lived in the area we were moving to.  
            When my family finally moved, Mom found out about a back-to-school party that was being held by CHEMPA, a home school group that we were going to join.  We decided to go so that we could meet some of the other homeschoolers.  On the way to the party, I was nervous.  Half of me was expecting everyone to snub me like in our old home school group, and the other half did not know what to expect.  When we first got to the park that the party was being held at, I noticed a long driveway that went down a small hill.  To the left of the driveway was the sports area where there were basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts.  The right side was mainly the beauty of the park consisting of tall trees, dirty sidewalks, and part of the creek.  The creek, however, was not visible from the driveway.  At the end of the driveway lay a parking lot that looked very similar to the parking lot at ABC Auto.  It was a small rectangle, and people could park on either long side, but not in the middle.  A rather large pavilion was at the bottom of the hill where about half of the adults and teenagers were.  To the left of the pavilion was a child’s play area.  The area was smaller than most park play areas, but it seemed pleasurable for young children.  The park was quite beautiful, but my nervousness prevented me from noticing any beauty anywhere.
            After leaving the vehicle, our family walked up to the vast pavilion.  Immediately, one of the moms came up to greet us.  The greeting was weird because in our old home school group, most of the people who attended the events were snobby.  The lady who greeted us started introducing my brothers, sisters, and me to other kids our ages.  She introduced my sister, Kimberly, and me to her daughter and one of her daughter’s friends.  Kimberly and I went with the girls to a table on the other side of the small parking lot.  There was a huge tree on one side of us and the volleyball court on the other.  Our little group of four sat at the table for a while.  Kimberly and I were not having much fun because the girls we were introduced to were talking mostly about sports and people who we did not know.  Much to Kimberly’s and my relief, our little group moved to the pavilion where other teenagers were hanging out.  Kimberly and I met some people who were about like the girls we had just met, but later we found out that a lot of those people were very nice.  We then found ourselves with one of the girl’s younger sisters.  That made us even more uncomfortable, so we decided to go sit where Mom and Dad were.  
            Mom knew that Kimberly and I were not having that great of a time, so she tried to help by introducing us to another girl who was my age.  Meeting her did not go very well.  We walked to where the girl and her mother were standing and introduced ourselves.  The girl and her mother introduced themselves as well, but said they were about to leave, so we went back to our seats. After another friendship flop, I was ready to give up.  I was discouraged and wanted someone to come to me for a change.  Then, Mom saw a girl sitting all alone by a tree.  Mom made another daring move.  She wanted me to, yet again, meet someone else.  I had not noticed the girl by the tree before, but Mom had.  When Mom first saw her, she said, “Let’s go meet that girl.”  I shook my head and would not look Mom in the eyes for fear that she would fuss with her eyes.  The process repeated, and then Mom gave up.  When Mom’s eyes met Tree Girl’s, Mom smiled, and so did Tree Girl.  That is when Mom said, “She smiled.  Let’s go.”  I, once again, shook my head.  Mom tried again, but I shook my head once more.  Mom and Kimberly decided to go over to meet Tree Girl without me.  Mom was being sneaky.  She introduced herself and Kimberly, and then she said something about me that I could not hear.  She then proceeded to motion for me to come over there.  I did not want to be rude, so I reluctantly went over to the tree that they were all standing around.  Mom introduced me, and then said, “Now, what’s your name again?”  
            “Rachel,” said Tree Girl.  
Mom stood with us for a few minutes trying to get the conversation going.  After the conversation was going ok, Mom left.  Rachel, Kimberly, and I all stood by the tree and talked until it was time to go home.      
            After that, I saw Rachel about once a week at cub scouts and the park.  I got to know her a little bit better and starting thinking that she was not a good friend for me.  I thought she was too boring and not silly like me.  I mean, come on, she had never waved hysterically at cars passing by on their way to wherever.  As I got to know Rachel even better, I started liking her more.  I realized that, even though Rachel was not like my other friends, she could still be my friend.  She did not have to like waving hysterically at cars or painting her finger nails and toe nails wild colors.  She could be my friend no matter what she liked to do as long as it was not anything my parents would not approve of.  
            About two months after Rachel and I met, I invited her to the annual Fall Festival that the church my family attends was hosting.  Rachel said that she would have to ask her parents, but other than that she was free that evening.  Rachel’s coming was not totally for sure until the day of the party, but I almost knew that she would be going.  I was very pleased that she would be going with me, and hoped that she would be dressing up.  After I had invited Rachel, I heard about a party that my other new friend, Joanna, was hosting on the same night as the Fall Festival.  I wanted to go to Joanna’s party even more than I wanted to go to the Fall Festival, but there was a problem; I had already invited Rachel to the Fall Festival.  I could not call and tell Rachel that I had found a better party to go to.    That would have been rude and downright embarrassing for Mom and Dad.  The thought of calling her and asking if she would rather go to Joanna’s party kept entering my mind.  But, if I did call, she would probably have asked me which I would rather go to, and then say, “I really don’t care.”  With Mom’s help, I decided not to go for that plan.  I had to go to the Fall Festival no matter what.  I kept on telling myself that God had a better plan than mine, and I knew it was true, but I really wanted to go to Joanna’s party.    
                        When the Fall Festival started, I was wishing I was having fun with Joanna and all of the other new friends I had met.  But when we started eating, I forgot that Joanna was even having a party.  My friends, family, extended family, and I were all laughing and picking at each other.  One man had brought a machine that made scary noises when someone walked under it, and I got to see some extended family members that I normally do not get to see.  I started wishing I was at Joanna’s party again when my cousin reminded me, but the feeling went away almost as soon as it came.
            God revealed to me His plan when Rachel and I were in one of the classrooms the church was using to put games in.  There was no one in the classroom at the time except for Rachel and me when Rachel said, “I know you said you’re saved, and I told you I am saved, but I have a friend who says she’s saved, but believes that you have to be baptized to be saved.  What do you believe?”  Even while she was talking I was shaking my head.  I said, “You have to ask God to forgive you and save you.”  She agreed.  Looking back, I realize that Rachel was willing to risk our relationship to see if I am going to be in Heaven when I die.  I had emailed her and asked if she was saved, and when she replied “yes”, I was going to leave it at that.  Rachel encouraged me that night.  God, through Rachel, touched me.  
            Now, whenever I see Rachel, I have a respect for her that I do not have with some of my other friends.  I could have just left Tree Girl there by herself.  But God had other plans.