Shortly after my wife and I moved into our first house in1995, we heard a knock on our door. It was Mrs. Greenberg; she was the original owner who purchased the house in 1953. She told us about how she and our neighbor Shirley had planted cherry and maple trees in their respective backyards together when they moved in. She then proceeded to berate me for cutting down that very cherry tree. I felt terrible, I really did, but I was tired of walking into the house with cherries stuck to the bottoms of my shoes.

Everybody knew and loved our neighbor Shirley and just about every kid in the neighborhood climbed that maple tree at some point. She was a wonderful woman who would tell me stories of how she and her husband raised three great kids in their little three-bedroom house. The house was small and her family was loving and grounded. She told me how she always knew where everyone was because she could hear them breathing.

In 2016 Shirley, in her late 90s, passed away. Later that year the new owner cut down the maple tree that Shirley had planted in 1953. This is that tree.

The steel represents Shirley and her husband Israel’s enduring commitment to their family.