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    The Prayer Tree

    Apr 28, 2020 5 minutes
    BY SHERI FURMAN Blowing Rock, North Carolina

    THE FIRE THAT OVERTOOK MY little gift shop on Main Street that evening last June burned fast and hot. The spray from the firefighters’ hoses turned the air wet with steam. The street was blocked in both directions. Still, the streets were lined with friends and towns-people, all concerned for my staff and me.

    A police officer guided me to a location where I could watch as the fire-fighters put out the last flames. I stood maybe 50 feet away. I was grateful my staff was safe. But everything I’d worked for was gone.

    What are you doing here, Lord? I thought.

    I looked to the right of the shop, to the leafy tree between my boutique, Take Heart, and the bank next door. Its branches sagged from

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