Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDLIX

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." We've all heard that statement throughout our lives, but what does it mean? Well, its meaning can be both literal and figurative. The literal meaning is fairly simple: Apple trees bear apples, and when an apple falls from the tree, it will fall straight to the ground and lie there till it decays, unless someone picks it up and moves it. Its seed may even sprout and bring bring forth a tiny new apple tree in that same spot, just like the parent tree that's already there. However, I've never heard that statement made with a literal meaning. Now, let's discuss the figurative version. The tree represents human parents and the apple is the child. When parents "sprout" and bring forth a child, that child will not stray far from being exactly like the parents...."unless someone picks it up and moves it." Let me give you a few examples of what I mean: Parents who are educated will be more likely to have kids who also get an education. Children born out of wedlock will be more likely to have kids born out of wedlock. Parents who use profanity will be more likely to have kids who use profanity. Kids born to parents who are active in their church will likely grow up to be active in church themselves. Hard working parents will have hard working kids. That list could go on and on, but you get my drift. Many years ago, when we were living in another city, we had some friends who were quick to pick up the phone and call a friend to "bawl them out" if they didn't like something they did or said. As we got to know their parents, we discovered that the wife's parents were the same way. Why does it work that way? It's because "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." I've known girls who grew up in what we would call a privileged setting, and when they married boys who had a more modest income, they had a difficult time adjusting to the less affluent lifestyle. Why did I turn out to be the type of man I am? There's no doubt it has a lot to do with my mom and dad. Sadly, there are millions of kids in our country today who are growing up in homes where drug abuse and teen pregnancy are running rampant, and the source of the family income is a combination of government entitlement programs and drug sales. We really can't blame the kids for continuing in the same cycle, because that's the only life they know. You see, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." However, if you look back up to the first two paragraphs in this article, you'll see there's one phrase I used two different times: "...unless someone picks it up and moves it." The apples in my fruit basket are there because each individual apple was personally moved by someone. I rarely read a book more than once, since there are so many other books I still haven't read, but there's one book I read twice, and then I saw the movie twice. It's a true story called "Schindler's List." There was no way Oskar Schindler could help enough people to have a huge impact on the Holocaust, but for the few he COULD help, it was the difference between life and death. That's basically the same story with the kids I was telling you about. What you and I could do in the way of mentoring and taking an interest in the life of a child would have little effect on the entire population of unfortunate kids born into the drug culture, but it would make all the difference in the world to the few we DID help, not to mention how it would affect THEIR kids. If I can save one soul, and that soul saves another, my small action could have a huge eternal impact. To borrow a thought from my friend, Ryan Lowe, people who are lost cannot find their way on their own; someone has to guide them to the correct path. If I can help move one apple, then the next tree will bear its apples in a new location, and those apples won't fall far from the tree. Preston