My Front Yard Tree

We moved into our house in May of 1998. Our son was seven and our triplets eight months old. When school started, we posed our oldest in front of the catalpa and took his picture. Every year, on the first day of school, I'd make the kids stand in front of the same tree for the annual photograph. The kids grew. Graduation from 8th grade was marked by that tree. Graduation from high school, first by our oldest, then by the triplets was recorded. I have photos from 2016 of each of the triplets standing in their college tee shirts commemorating which schools they were planning to attend. And photos of them in their cap and gowns. Sadly, the catalpa was struck by lightning in the summer of 2016.  The arborists we called were unable to save the tree. I am thankful for the catalpa for helping mark the progression of our kids from year to year.