Eucalyptus Trees & Blonde Brownies . . .

 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,^[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“Eucalyptus will not grow in this climate.” The landscaper stood in my backyard, emphatic that the 30 foot tall eucalyptus tree beside him could not be existing. But it was. And it does. It has endured ice and snow on occasion, intense heat, torrential rains and a blow from a falling pine tree during Hurricane Helene.

In fact the Eucalyptus had suffered after a winter ice storm and the top quarter of the tree was brown and dead prior to last fall’s hurricane. Memories of the pine tree that sheered off the dead part of the Eucalyptus and took out our back deck are not pleasant, but what happened to the Eucalyptus is fascinating.

The tree did not die, in fact the hurricane pruning encouraged new growth. Strange growth. The top part of the tree now grows what I call Koala Leaves, the kind you see the koala at the zoo eating from the tree she lives in. The bottom part of the tree continues to produce what I call Decorative Leaves, the kind you buy at Hobby Lobby to put in floral arrangements.

We looked it up, and indeed, when a Eucalyptus tree experiences trauma it will begin to produce mature or skinny, pointed leaves. The rounded leaves are juvenile leaves. These leaves can be maintained by pruning, keeping the tree small. The slender, elongated leaves are the mature leaves, usually appearing as the tree gains height or after a trauma. Both types of leaves give off the aromatic scent eucalyptus is known for. The tree is still a eucalyptus tree, it just reveals its history in its growth, appearance, and production.

Similarly, and hopefully, people mature as well, moving from immature behavior based on appearance, impulse, and short-sightedness to meaningful, well-thought out, goal oriented life decisions. Some maturation is the result of trauma, of life gone wrong, of ice storms that deaden a part of us. When my tree first endured the ice storm, I did not know if it would live or die. Through no decision of its own my tree lived; people who endure life storms have choices to make, questions to grapple with. What happens next? Will I survive? Can I ever trust anyone ever again? Does God really love me? How could this happen? How can I ever face anyone again? Can I go on? Do I want to go on?

Choosing to live again after experiencing heart break, heinous trauma or hell on earth is not easy. It does not happen overnight; it is not the happy ending to a tragic movie where the beautiful stars find new love or new life and sail off into the sunset. Finding new life, choosing new life and survival resembles the eucalyptus sucking sustenance from the ground, yielding its leafy limbs to the sun and slowly, ever so slowly producing slender, billowy bluish green leaves. Different than the leaves they first produced, but ever so beautiful and fragrant. More delicate than their rounded, youthful leaves, these leaves dance lightly in the breeze, aware of the faintest movement of air, less rigid and set in place.

The top of my eucalyptus tree is a good reminder to me that change and growth can result in maturity. I never intended to grow a koala tree, but neither do I want to live a juvenile life forever. As I watch the koala leaves shimmering in the sunshine and dancing in the wind in a way the decorative leaves never did, I am reminded of Romans 8:28, that God truly can and does use all things for good as we allow Him to grow us into the image of Jesus.

I don’t know what trauma and life pain you have endured, but I do know that God loves you. Would you allow Him to prune the deadness from your trunk so you can live and produce fruit? Everyday is a new morning, a new opportunity to begin again, a new mercy from the God who created you. Go dance in the wind today!

I’ve chosen an old favorite for today’s recipe; something that, like the leaves on my eucalyptus, is a variation of itself. Blonde or Butterscotch Brownies are a brownie, but they are not a chocolate base brownie. These gooey, caramel bar cookies are easy to put together but must be taken out of the oven at just the right moment to be cooked through but not too dry. It may take a few tries to get them baked perfectly.

Butterscotch or Blonde Brownies

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal Flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, optional
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350*. Grease a 13×9″ pan. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter. Blend in sugar. Stir in remaining ingredients. Batter will be thick but sticky. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until set. The bake time is what is tricky for this recipe. If you underbake them the middle will be runny, if you over bake them the edges will be hard. Keep an eye on them, using a toothpick or cake tester to determine when they are truly done, but not overdone.

Cut blondies while warm as the edges have a tendency to harden when cooled. Try cutting diagonally to make diamond shaped treats! My family prefers these with chocolate chips.