Her parents tended their little family with great care. They taught the seedlings to furrow their roots deeply and dance in the wind. Most of the growing elmaples were in a hurry to become tall, tall trees, but LiLi made herself a home for many creatures who had nowhere else to go.

She let them stay as long as they liked and fed them well with her berries and seeds. Other trees often teased her for being too kind. After all trees were the tallest things in the forest, so why would they bother with helping the smallest?

LiLi had no answer, but she seemed to grow very wise through her friendships and generosity. Late at night when the trees told their stories, she always had something new to say long after the older trees had run out of tales. One year she was greatly honored when a pair of parakeets built their nest in the strong arms of her branches. Many trees never had such a privilege and LiLi's parents were greatly pleased. She swayed gently to the rhythm of the parakeets' love song while she waited and waited and waited.

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