{"id":20075,"date":"2026-03-11T08:45:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T08:45:40","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-12T23:58:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T03:58:52","slug":"mysteriously-miraculously-evergreen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/friends-and-family\/family\/military-families\/mysteriously-miraculously-evergreen\/","title":{"rendered":"Mysteriously, Miraculously Evergreen"},"content":{"rendered":"

That Christmas season, Christmas 2002, our tree was absolutely perfect. A white spruce with lush, green needles, and branches that arched upward, as if to heaven. My husband, Al, and our daughters, Corinne and Louise, spent the evening decorating it.<\/p>\n

We hung Lord knows how many ornaments, some of them heirlooms that told our family history. Beneath the tree was a pile of beautifully wrapped presents\u2014 and a few not-so-beautifully wrapped ones, in baggy, black plastic bags.<\/p>\n

To me, those gifts were the most precious, sent by my son, Ephraim. Looking around our festive living room, I thought of that famous line from the film Field of Dreams<\/em>: \u201cIf you build it, he will come.\u201d<\/p>\n

I hoped by some miracle that Ephraim would come home for Christmas, even though I knew it wasn\u2019t going to happen. A member of the Delaware Army National Guard Military Police Unit, he was stationed overseas with the U.S. Air Force in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

He and his team were tasked with the job of base security. Ephraim had been there since August and was not scheduled to return home until the following March.<\/p>\n

I prayed every day for my son\u2019s safety. If there was even the slightest chance that he would be back for Christmas, I wanted him to come home to the perfect celebration.<\/p>\n

Then came the phone call.<\/p>\n

\u201cMom?\u201d said Ephraim. The line crackled with static. Just from the way he said that one word, I knew something was wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are pretty edgy over here,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s even worse than what you\u2019re seeing on the news.\u201d<\/p>\n

And what we were seeing was bad enough. Terrorist attacks were escalating. The situation was devolving into chaos.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re definitely not coming home for Christmas, are you?\u201d I asked, trying to mask the fear in my voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cStill hoping for March,\u201d Ephraim sighed. \u201cIt was never a real possibility I\u2019d be home for Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know what to say. I was afraid my worries would infect him. He had enough to be concerned about. I didn\u2019t want him to know how scared I was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d he said, breaking the silence, \u201cdid you get the presents?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, they came the other day, tied with a ribbon. Who helped you with the wrapping?\u201d We shared a laugh.<\/p>\n

Then a sudden urgency crept into his voice. \u201cMom, I\u2019ve got to run. Probably won\u2019t get to talk to you until after the holidays, so please tell everyone merry Christmas from me. I\u2019ll e-mail when I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The phone went click<\/em>. Ephraim was gone.<\/p>\n

Christmas Day arrived, but Al, the girls and I didn\u2019t feel much like celebrating. How could we, with Ephraim so far away?<\/p>\n

Suddenly, I had an idea. \u201cWhat if we wait until Ephraim returns home to have Christmas?\u201d I said. \u201cWe\u2019ll leave the presents unopened, even if we have to wait until March.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what about the tree?\u201d Louise asked. \u201cIt won\u2019t last till then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll water it,\u201d I said, \u201cand hope that its needles stay green. We\u2019ll leave it up as long as possible. For Ephraim.\u201d<\/p>\n

January arrived with no word from my son. Still, I held out hope that we would be able to celebrate with him soon. I watered the tree faithfully, and so far it looked as fresh as the day we brought it home.<\/p>\n

By the end of the month, though, it was clear that the trunk had dried out. It no longer soaked up the water. I removed the water pan beneath it and sprayed the branches themselves.<\/p>\n

I knew it was a lost cause. It was only a matter of days before the needles would turn brown, the branches would sag and we would have to throw it out.<\/p>\n

My heart sank. I feared for my son. I thought that he\u2019d be home by now, Lord. <\/em>Was he, too, running out of time?<\/p>\n

A week passed. Then another. Yet somehow, the tree\u2019s branches remained robust, its needles green.<\/p>\n

One cold February night, Corinne and Louise tied yellow ribbons and bows to the branches in honor of their brother.<\/p>\n

Lord, bring Ephraim home, before the needles on the tree begin to fall, <\/em>I prayed.<\/p>\n

On March 1, I tidied Ephraim\u2019s room, imagining the moment that he would walk through the front door. Finally!<\/p>\n

And then we got the news. News that made me fear even more for my son. A new wave of violence had broken out. Terrorists blew up a Riyadh hotel, killing a number of Americans.<\/p>\n

Ephraim\u2019s unit was ordered to remove the bodies, and then remain on high alert. That meant serving 14-hour shifts patrolling the base, dressed in full battle gear in 120- degree heat. His return was put on hold indefinitely.<\/p>\n

How could I wait any longer? I wondered. How could I get through even one more day without seeing my son?<\/p>\n

Standing in the living room, I looked at that tree we had left up for Ephraim. Still green. Still holding on. Strong and faithful. Like it\u2019s waiting for him, <\/em>I thought.<\/p>\n

If this tree could hold on for my son, maybe I could too.<\/p>\n

No one from Ephraim\u2019s unit returned home in March. No one returned home in April. But every time my faith flagged, I turned to that tree, still somehow alive. God, I hear you, <\/em>I prayed. I won\u2019t give up hope.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ephraim called in early May. Again, a scratchy connection. But his joy was clear. \u201cMom,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019m coming home!\u201d<\/p>\n

On May 10, he finally walked through our front door. Our hugs and tears\u2014both his and ours\u2014seemed like they would last forever.<\/p>\n

Finally, he stepped through the foyer into the living room. \u201cOh, my Lord!\u201d he cried.<\/p>\n

The tree, with its ornaments and yellow ribbons, stood tall and proud, as robust and green as the day we decorated it. Corinne threw the switch and lit the lights.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t the only ones waiting for you,\u201d I said. \u201cChristmas did too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmazing!\u201d Ephraim exclaimed. \u201cBut where\u2019d you get a perfect Christmas tree in May?\u201d<\/p>\n

We told him the story that evening, after opening presents and feasting on a holiday meal. Only then did we notice that the branches were suddenly turning. We took down the tree and put it outside.<\/p>\n

Overnight its color changed, from green to a sickly orange-brown. When I touched the tree the next morning, the needles fell in cascades to the ground. How had it lasted this long?<\/p>\n

It had survived just long enough. To teach me not to quit believing. In hope. In God. In his saving power that never fails, never withers. It\u2019s evergreen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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