The Banana Tree

I am fortunate enough to live in an area of the world where I don't see people facing poverty all that often. It is not something that I see every day, but I know that it is out there. Because it does exist in the world, my church has sister parishes in places all over the globe that are in need of our assistance. One of these is in Palestine. A few years ago the came to visit, and they brought us a beautiful gift, a banana tree.
After they left, though, the banana tree's truly sad existence began. It was spring when the visited, so someone decided to put the banana tree outside. BAD idea. See, we are in Maryland. The summers are hot, yes, but they are not as rainy as the tropical climates where banana trees usually grow. Somebody obviously watered it, though, because it made it through the summer and was moved inside for the fall. I now foolishly thought that this'd was where the banana tree would stay to live out its days, but no. The banana tree was once again relocated outside in the late spring. I could have been okay with that, had it not been for what happened next.
Somebody must have decided that the banana tree looked too plan. I imagine their inner monologue going something like this, "It's pretty, but it's missing something. Oh, I know, bananas! How do we fix that? OH! PLASTIC BANANAS!!"
Yes, I'm serious. Plastic bananas were hung from our poor tree using scotch tape and fishing line. And the bananas were not even arranged in bunches, like they would be on a real banana tree. No, each banana was hung all by itself, without any partners.
So now we have a banana tree with some serious psychological issues. First of all, it has a lack of home issues from moving inside and outside every summer. It doesn't know if it should identify as a house plant or a garden tree. It's other issue is its self-esteem. That banana tree will never grow bananas now because someone put those fakes on it. It feels worthless, like it will never be able to do this on its own, so it just will not try.
Please, if you have a banana tree, treat it with love. Don't subject it to torturous moves and fake bananas that ruin its self-esteem. Leave it in one place. Let it grow in its own.