Jewish Month of Sh'vat, Pre-Spring, TU B'Shvat

Leora wrote asking me for a TU B'Shvat article. 

When we lived in Bayit V'Gan, Jerusalem there was a large, old sh'kaydia almond tree in the empty lot by our apartment.  Every TU B'Shvat the gannim, nursery schools would march over and sing to it.  Then a few months before we moved to Shiloh building began in the lot and the tree was destroyed.  The entire neighborhood gathered to cry.  It was one of the signs that our time in Jerusalem was up.

When we first moved to Shiloh I said (in my head) that I needed to plant a shkaydia almond tree by the house, but I never did it.  Read how G-d made that plan come true.  Yes, the punchline has been revealed.

This is nothing like the gorgeous tree that used to flower near our apartment, but it does have its beauty, and it's a gift from G-d.