one word [carve]
(ref: here ) Initials. The tree outside my house is covered in initials; some are clearly romantic, Joe and Mary, Alfred and Milly, and many, many others. My wife, too, drew our names on the side of the tree nearest the sidewalk. They used to say that if you cut your own couple's names onto the tree, it would guarantee fidelity and happiness. It seemed true for years ... and certainly, it appears to have been true for some of them. The other day I was looking at the tree and realized there was a kind of dividing line. Nobody used the east side of the tree; nor did they use the west. On either of those sides, the only visible names are from the north and south. And then I got to thinking ... maybe the old saying was true. The couples on the north side had all faced unusual hardships. Miscarriage of triplets House burning down while asleep Sinkholes under the house. Weird things. But the result of each of those hardships drew those couples closer. I know o...