My daughter and I planted four trees in our backyard recently.  They were little more than twigs when she brought them home.  She was able to hold all four of them in the palm of one hand.  Still, with faith in the future I dug the holes in our backyard and with loving care my daughter planted each one of the saplings.  When I look out on them now, I smile.  They are so small and yet so full of life.  As they stretch towards the morning sun and slowly grow upward to the sky, I can see the hundreds of glorious years that lie ahead of them.  Soon they will be filling the air around them with life giving oxygen.  Soon they will be blessing the world with their sweet smell and comforting shade.  Soon they will be changing the world for the better, just by being in it.

What most of us don’t realize is that we can change the world for the better just by being in it too.  When we go out of our homes each morning, we don’t see just how many trees of goodness that we can plant each day.  Every single smile that we share, plants a little more light in another’s heart.  Every single act of kindness that we do, plants a little more kindness and happiness in this world.  Every single moment of joy that we spread, puts new seedlings of joy in the souls around us.  Every single bit of love that we give, plants another sapling of Heaven here on Earth.  We may only think of ourselves as tiny twigs, but in our lifetimes we all can do more good than a forest of Redwoods.

Don’t be afraid to try and change the world for the better then.  Remember that you are a Child of God put here to fill this world with love and joy.  With God’s love in your heart and with God’s joy in your soul, you can help to create a never-ending forest of goodness in this world -- just by planting one sapling at a time.

Joseph J. Mazzella