All the Stories

Lots of opportunities abound to add more stories!

Today I learned about a new family history app, and I thought you might enjoy it as well. It's called All the Stories, and gathers all the stories found linked to your ancestors in FamilySearch. It's really quite neat to have those in one spot. Some day I'll spend more time reading through them, but today I wanted to share the miracle of the plum tree, an experience my great-aunt Olive had a few years after her husband died, as told by my second cousin. Isn't this an awesome miracle?

The Plum Tree

One year, our finances were diminished and times were tough. Around the beginning of the year, Mom called each of us together to pray for the Lord’s assistance, in a way which was different from our usual daily family prayers. Mom had us kneel in a circle and had each of us offer a prayer as we knelt together, each child praying in turn; she would offer the last prayer. This happened around the beginning of the year.

Well, we had a self-pollinating plum tree. It normally blossomed in April and bore fruit in early June. This year was different. This year the plum tree blossomed in late January which was several months before normal. The tree bore a bumper crop bigger than any I had ever seen from that tree. The first fruits were harvested early April and we were able to use them for barter with our neighbors. The fruit was succulent, juicy, sweet/tart and basically AMAZING that year. We would trade a lunch bag filled to the brim for different products such as a quart of milk, a jar of peanut butter, a pound of pasta, pound of popcorn etc. It worked out really well as the neighbors really enjoyed the plums.

The early blossoms and early harvest were amazing in their own right but here the events become even more thrilling. As we picked the fruit in April the tree began to blossom a second time. This also defied the laws of nature as I understood them. Unheard of, this tree actually blossomed a second time and the tree was covered in blossoms along with the ripe fruit we were harvesting.

The second harvest came basically at it’s normal time. I was able to take plums to school in my lunch early June and I always looked forward to that time of year. Oh, how I loved the plums from our tree!!!

This time, as we picked the fruit, much to our joy and amazement, the tree began to blossom a third time. Once again there was another bumper crop of these rich, amazing plums.

I know it was through the example of faith in the Lord that my mother demonstrated that she, along with the faith of us her children, was able to call down the powers of Heaven to deliver us from our financial bondage. This miracle provided what we needed at the time.