MOMI REFLECTS/ The Trouble Tree

May 26, 2016 | Love, Only Berlin

For the past few weeks, I found myself easily upset and spoke of harsh comments.  I have known myself to be kind and gentle to my children.  The boys had the same observation. Perhaps the upcoming school enrollment and our baby’s birthday celebration might have caused my crankiness.

Anyway, what is the point then?

A priest, through his sermon, shared the story of the TROUBLE TREE.  I really like how the carpenter puts his trouble behind him and faces a new undertaking with a positive mood.  It is something we  ALL could learn from. 

THE TROUBLE TREE

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work. His electric saw quit, and now his ancient pick-up truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a tall tree, touching tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door, he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed with smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterwards he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

“Oh, that’s my trouble tree” he replied. “I know that I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing’s for sure. Troubles don’t belong in the house with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I get home. Then in the morning I pick them up again.

“Funny thing is,” he smiled, “when I come out in the morning to pick ‘em up, there ain’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”

Setting boundaries around our troubles is indeed a good way to put off unwanted conflicts caused by our grumpiness.  Let us not make someone else miserable with our own unhappiness.

Sorry, boys, for being a nightmare. And thank you, dear Lord, for waking me up.

57 Comments

  1. Carol Cassara (@ccassara)

    It’s an inspirational story and one that I’m sure will come in handy for me to remember. Because we are all just human. Right?

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, we could always make mistakes but we can also have our own trouble tree to leave those bad experiences behind.

      Reply
  2. momknowsbest15

    I love this concept of a trouble tree. He is a very wise man.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Indeed a wise man. Love reading it again and again.

      Reply
    • momi berlin

      This is such a sweet and humbling message. Will then check this. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Aki

        you are most welcome ! 🙂

        Reply
  3. Rebecca

    What a wise man and very inspirational. I like.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      I like it too. And would like to do the same. I hope i could do it continuously.

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth O.

    That’s a very good message especially for people who are working. It’s important that we leave troubles where they should be left and not lash out on the people who are watching our backs.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      I agree. Difficult but should be or necessary.

      Reply
  5. alison

    I have never heard that story before but I love it. I think being able to let go of your troubles even for a couple hours is a great skill and how successful people are able to function every day in life.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, its truly inspirational and i hope i could do it as well.

      Reply
  6. ASKSonnie

    I liked the analogy. But in reality, stress gets the better of us from time to time, and the poor people in our circle is always at the receiving end of our wrath. Good thing we have an understanding and resilient family.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      I love how you describe our family. Indeed they are very resilient and so forgiving.

      Reply
  7. ROBERT LEE

    Tama! Kung me problema, find a way to channel them somewhere and turn troubles into positives! That way, hindi maapektuhan ang ibang tao, lalo mga loved ones mo.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Mismo, sir. 🙂 pero minsan hirap gawin.

      Reply
  8. Mrs_Daaku

    Ya. Its wonderful! Its always good to leave stress behind but its extremely difficult. Great post, thought provoking

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Extremely difficult. I super agree. But needed to really leave stress behind or else our relationship with our loved ones would suffer.

      Reply
  9. PiaDy

    “Let us not make someone else miserable with our own unhappiness”- love this! I’m a walking ball of anxiety and have been known to snap at people when I’m not in the mood, so this a good reminder. I love the story too! There really is value in keeping our family insulated from the external stress that we’re experiencing. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      You are welcome. And thank you, too, for appreciating the story / post.

      Reply
  10. Karlaroundtheworld | Karla

    That’s wonderful story. I would probably have made the same conclusion with the moral from that sermon and we do have the ability to rid ourselves of negativity.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Such a wonderful story. Another lesson learned.

      Reply
  11. travelerettenyc

    What a sweet story! You care so much about your sons. I’m sure you do everything you can to keep your trouble away from them. I also have work stress from time to time that makes me grumpy. I try to remind myself of the things that are truly important to me and keep my stress away from those things that are really precious.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Such sweet words to read. I always look forward to reading your comments. They are really sensible. Thank you.

      Reply
  12. Rachel Mouton

    What a great way to keep our bad moods and temper in check. I am going to put this into practice in my own life. Thanks!

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, such a nice way to wake us also of our bad moods.

      Reply
  13. Samantha Coronado (@followyouroad)

    What a truly inspiring story! I’ve never heard about it before. This is really helpful for me because I find it hard to control some emotions like anger and anxiety. I try to mentally leave it, but my body responds as if there’s still a foreign invader. I have to find my own tree in which to hang the bad vibes, so to speak.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, trying hard to do the same and use the tree instead.

      Reply
  14. Karlyn Flores

    What a wise man and I love reading this post. It makes me inspired

    Reply
  15. Neri Ann

    Great way to ease your troubles away! There are times too when my patience really goes to the boiling point. What I usually do is go out outside the house for a while and let me temper go. In that way my kids will not see me angry and once I go home, I will just kiss and hug them.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Such a sweet and thoughtful act. Should practice that as well. Thanks.

      Reply
  16. Nadine Smith

    Great story! It reminds us to leave our troubles behind and spare our loved ones from them. It’s always good to talk to them about it, but not burden them too much with our pain.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, talking with them is another way. Thanks for this.

      Reply
  17. Joanna

    There is a saying, when you encounter a problem, instead of getting angry about it, just park it and go on with your day. When you will return to deal with it, it won’t looks so bad anymore.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Such a nice saying. Hope i be able to reflect on it and apply it as well. Thanks.

      Reply
  18. tp keane

    awe that really is a fantastic story. I love it so much that I’m going to share it with the family.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Thank you for appreciating the story. Truly worth sharing.

      Reply
  19. Kathy

    What a great story. I love the whole concept of a trouble tree. That’s so neat!

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Love it as well. Learned a lot from it and hoping I could live and survive with my own trouble tree.

      Reply
  20. sparkofsouthernmoms

    This is an amazing story! I will have to remember this story and share with some of my family! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, such a nice story not to share with family and even friends.

      Reply
  21. Cheryleyle

    Wow, just another way of spreading good vibes! It’s a healthy tip for people who are often focused on the negative things. I think, di ba, let’s live in the moment.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yup, indeed spreading good vibes. 🙂

      Reply
  22. Liz Mays

    I especially love the part where there didn’t seem to be as many in the morning. Love it!

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes. I agree. That’s a nice part indeed.

      Reply
  23. Alfonzowords

    brilliant, thanks for sharing! it’s inspirational, because we are all human after all. there just comes that point

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      You are welcome. Such a inspiring story indeed.

      Reply
  24. kareen liez datoy (@blessedliez)

    This is a nice story! We really get cranky at times and I have experienced this recently. This is a good reminder that we really have to leave our troubles behind and be happy especially in front of the kids.

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, I agree. I just hope I will be consistent on making use of my trouble tree. I do not want to hurt my family in any way.

      Reply
  25. Marielle Altenor

    Whenever I start to feel that I’m losing my patience with my son I tell him to give me a few minutes to calm down. Sometimes I only need 5 minutes to just reflect. Is that or I yell lol

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      A nice way indeed. I guess I need that as well. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
  26. Shaylee Field

    What a wonderful story! I don’t have kids yet but I definitely learned an important lesson for the future!

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Such a nice story indeed. Hope I be able to use correctly my trouble tree.

      Reply
  27. The Pink Caboodle

    I’m often guilty of grumpiness lol…this is a great lesson to keep in mind, to not take out our anger on other people

    Reply
    • momi berlin

      Yes, i agree. And i pray i could make use of my trouble tree wisely and effectively.

      Reply

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