The Official Writing Challenge
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This is a perfect take on the topic. An easy, enjoyable read with just a touch of nostalgia. Loved it!
Beautifully written, deeply touching. I love her silver lining. Well Done!
03/07/08
This is beautiful, lyrical prose, doing a superb job of evoking several poignant emotions. It covers such a tiny slice of life, yet with such richness. Gorgeous.
I love it! I could feel her pain and then the dawning of a new joy.
03/08/08
Beautiful. An excellent example of the topic, but more than that, a wonderful story. I really enjoyed this.
03/09/08
Your descriptions are breathtaking. You really took me inside this story and moved my heart in the process.
Just ONE of many examples of taking a common phrase and making it come alive for the reader:
Warm tears flowed freely down her face—some dripping from her nose, others bringing their saltiness to the edge of her mouth.
03/10/08
Beautifully written. I could picture it all. I especially love "ballet of foliage dancing in the wind".
Besides the descriptions that charmed everyone, I liked the "before" as a time order word. I know how people measure time by "before' and "after' when thinking of their lives. Your MC was brought to life with full characterization. This was a wonderful example of how the senses can be written into a piece of prose so that becomes so much more than written words.
03/12/08
Oh, this is such a COOL story. I love it when she realizes that she can see the children after the tree is cut down.
03/12/08
Poetry in prose. At the beginning, I was worried that something was seriously wrong with the MC. Glad she found her silver lining.
I too was upset but the removal of the tree, there is something so innately wrong with that. I could feel the lose, the chasm. Wonderful silver lining, she will be blessed by her new scenery.
Your imagery is, as always, beautiful. I loved the happy ending to what looked like a grim future for your MC.
This is a favorite of mine this week. I loved how the tree was her 'friend'. I was wondering how something good could come out of something like that, but you pulled it off real well. Your last paragraph was my favorite, I really liked the lines where she wondered if they knew what would happen to HER foundation. A great piece! ^_^
03/12/08
Wonderful descriptions - both visual and emotional - in this piece. I was enraptured.
My parents had a pine tree at one time that ended up being removed. I thought it was strange that I would miss a tree, but your story helped me realize why I missed it. There were lots of great memories that the tree brought out in me.

I loved the ending. The descriptions were wonderful too! It was a perfect story for the topic. Thank you so much for sharing.
03/16/08
I can see this, "It was there in the afternoon, to delight her with a ballet of foliage dancing in the wind. And it was there in the moonlit night, comforting her with familiar shadows on the wall." Your writing is beautiful. Your ending is perfect!