Excuse Me, Aren't you Mrs. East?

CBN.com Mother's day is a very special time of the year. Memories and vivid pictures flood our minds. On Mother's Day I recall a tree, a tree that touched so many and reminds me of the love between my mother and father, a wonderful aunt, and the month of May when both my father and aunt passed away. May was also the month Mrs. East was born, on Mother's Day, 1922.

Long before there was a Dollar Tree with ornaments from China to adorn Easter trees there were Mrs. East, an artificial Christmas tree and 50% off Hallmark sales. The "Tree Journey" began the February after Mr. East passed away. The holiday season had always been one of joy, family, and endless preparation of food, gifts, cards and abundant decorations. Christmas that year was a difficult time without Daddy.

After going through the holiday motions and feeling the void, my sister and I returned to our own homes with our husbands. Mother assured us she would handle taking down the beloved tree and would prefer to do it herself. She promised to call my sister who lived in the same city if she required help. But at the end of January, Mother was still assuring me during our long-distance calls that she was going to box the cherished ornaments and tree the next day.

In February, my sister, aunt and I discovered a new addition to the den …an over seven-foot Valentine's Day Tree. Had Mother been watching the lights sparkle on the tree and remembering happier occasions when the idea hit? Or had she stumbled across the box in the attic labeled "Valentine decorations"? Our home was always a reflection of the holidays when we were growing up, but this was definitely a new variation on the theme of the expected table centerpiece.

As the months passed, Mother treated us to themes of St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Flag Day, 4th of July, NFL, Halloween and Thanksgiving before Christmas finally approached and tradition returned. We knew the1976 trees were going to be even more spectacular because, following each holiday Mother had searched the stores for sales for additional and interesting décor. She frequented the Hallmark stores from Virginia to South Carolina (my home) with a passion. She was a woman with a mission, a tree mission.

We decided to humor her. Besides, my sister and I joked when time arrives to commit her we have hard documentation. Our mother was The Tree Lady of Lakeside. She was even featured with her tree in the local newspaper. More tangible proof, we teased. Days were now scheduled to shed the tree of one dress and to lovingly create another. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and a Tree Lady!

For over twenty years Mother delighted in bringing young neighborhood children into her home to view the tree of the month. Their eyes wide with wonder, they returned to their parents to question why they did not have a multi-holiday tree. I'm sure Mother was admired for her creativity yet not remembered fondly for the discussions explaining why everyone does not have a year round tree.

Daddy used to tease Mother and say she was the only person he knew who could spend $100 and not have anything functional to show for it. I wonder what he would have thought of the many dollars spent on the revolving ornaments and one tree replacement. The tree always made me think of him, and I really wonder what his thoughts on that would have been! Was he spinning in his grave every time we sat beside the St. Pat's tree or the NFL tree? Or was he looking down from Heaven with a bemused smile for my Mother and the unique way she was dealing with his absence?

Fast forward to 1995, the year the tree came down. When I questioned Mother about her decision she just replied, "It's time." I did not feel the need to press for any further conversation. For Christmas 1996, the only tree in her home of nearly 50 years was a small, ceramic tree with tiny colored lights. It had belonged to my aunt, her only sister, who had died that spring. Another tree had become a symbol of loss and treasured memories of love and laughter.

Just this summer Mother was shopping in a local store.

"Excuse me, aren't you Mrs. East?" the clerk inquired.

"Yes", replied my mother, "Do I know you?"

The lady then said that she was one of the children who had visited The Tree several times and now shares the story of The Tree Lady with her son. Her son listens intently as she recalls the various decorations that caught the eye of a young child. She thanked my mother for the joy she experienced. This scene has happened many times before.

The 1977 newspaper article is framed and hangs on the den wall. The decorations have been sold at yard sales, but the monthly photographs are still around. What a Tree that was. Its very special purposes in this life were to help heal, to bring awe to her grandchild and to make memories for countless children who as adults will continue to ask, "Excuse me, aren't you Mrs. East?