The ancient, exhausted cedar tree had lived her life in the desert for ages and had developed the ability to predict when storms were on the rise. Today, she sensed a massive earthquake. She felt a quiver in her roots, tingling up into her branches. After a few more days, she saw the sky turn to gray and the clouds crowd together and hover overhead. She watched as the poor, haggard people emerged from their shelters, their hair blowing wildly around their frightened faces. As they had always done, they began to lower to their knees and pray for something to save them. Frequent storms had made the people weaker but had not killed any one of them. These tempests had caused not only physical weakness, but emotional weakness as well. The fact that the people had prayed and prayed and still nothing came to them had chipped away at their souls and values. The hope that they once possessed had withered away; still, they kept on praying. The wise tree felt sympathy for the people. However, she held her branches high, for she was proud that the people of her desert, which she had for so long inhabited, remained strong in spite of difficult times.
     There was a time long ago when the desert had been a lush plain, the people were enlightened and spirited, and the tree was vital, green, and full of youth. She joyfully watched over the people as they led their pleasant lives without fear. The people went to her for shelter, food, and wisdom. She gave them what they asked for and they thanked her graciously in return. Life was much simpler back then.
     Now, the tree couldn't provide the people with much, but they loved her just the same. They offered her support when her branches started to splinter after violent storms and comforted her when she was lonely.
When the earthquake finally arrived, the tree stood extremely still. She ground her roots as far into the earth as she could. She closed her eyes and listened to the awful screaming surrounding her. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain—she snapped her eyes open and saw one of her ancient branches lying on the ground.
“Oh no,” she thought. Could it be that this is was the storm that would truly cause a major devastation?
She hastily looked around, her roots shaking and loosening, at the people crying and holding onto one another, refusing to let go of their last, tiny hope for survival. The storm, by far, had been the worst yet. The earthquake lasted for a few more minutes until the ground became still and the shaken tree hesitantly opened her eyes. It was the most silent she had ever heard the desert. She looked around. All the shelters of the people were destroyed, pieces strewn across the sandy floor. The people were frozen in their stances, and the environment stayed like this for what felt like an hour. Then, as the tree observed the atmosphere, she noticed the people slowly arise and lamely attempt to put their houses back together. They then huddled underneath their ramshackle shelters and went to asleep. The tree did the same.
     She awoke suddenly—what was that icy feeling on her branch? She glanced down but saw nothing. She felt it again on another branch. Then she heard it.
“Drip, drop, drip, drop.” She looked down once again. Was that rain falling from the sky? Could it be? Was this possible? It hadn't’t rained since she was a young tree. She heard another swoosh from the sky and eventually saw the rain fall more heavily. She watched as the people awoke, reaching up into the dark, beautiful sky, smiling at each other.
     It poured until the night became day, and the people danced and rejoiced. The tree suddenly felt a strange tingling in her roots, coming from the ground. She looked down to the ground and saw a blossom beside her on the ground, a blossom that she had never seen before.
     Despite the invigorating rainfall, the tree became increasingly weak. Her branches drooped and she became less stable. As she wept, the blossom beside her grew and grew. Her tears became the new tree’s nourishment, and it grew strong and healthy. All the while, the people gathered beside both trees, offering comfort, love, and hospitality to the old and graciousness and generosity to the new. For weeks, the people stayed. Eventually, the old tree died peacefully, and the new tree grew into a beautiful cedar. The desert once again became lush, and the people once again were happy and healthy. From then on, the people lived with the comfort of knowing that when something is lost, there will always be something there to replace it.