The Jasmine and the Olive Trees

by Bassam Al Kuwatli

Many years ago, like many first time fathers I was happy about my daughter’s arrival to this world. It was an exciting change to my life and a real passage to adulthood.

On that day I planted in our garden two trees, a Jasmine tree and an Olive tree. I wanted my daughter to grow healthy and wise like the Olive tree, flexible and beautiful like the Jasmine tree. One was hard, strong and fruitful and the other was nice, fragile and fragrant. I thought that a human being needs qualities from both to succeed in life.

With my daughter’s arrival I had dreams that extended beyond today and tomorrow. I had someone who would be looking up to me and who would expect me to provide her with the life she deserves. I had to be up to the task. At the same time she represented a way for me to fulfill through her some of my own dreams that I was not able to fulfill myself.

Now I had to really think beyond what I can see, so like many young families, we carried our bags and left for the horizon. We never reached the Horizon, but we reached the piece of land that is the closest to it. This is the place were the sun turns before it comes back to declare a new day.

This was the land of opportunities and beauty. There is no gold to sweep, but there is success to thrive for and achievements to work hard for. There are as well hardships to overcome and sorrows to languish on. It is not paradise that I found, but it is the closest place to paradise that I was able to find, and I wanted my daughter to grow up in it.

My daughter grew wise and beautiful as I wished. I had to nourish her everyday as you would do to a tree, and now I can start seeing the fruits that bear both the value and the fragrance that those trees have.

As for the trees, they are still there were I planted them waiting for my daughter to visit. Will this visit ever happen, I definitely hope so, but I will leave this story to be continued by her one day.