This plant is about to burst into bloom. With a little nurture, you can too.
I took a walk yesterday, it seemed like overnight, the earth woke up. There are so many things in bloom. I suppose all of the rain we have been complaining about really did have a good purpose. Isn’t it funny how life works out that way? As I was walking and appreciating the beauty and thanking God for the gorgeous day, I came across a forsythia bush, that brought back a memory.
The forsythia bush is bright yellow and sometimes called yellow bells. They bloom in the spring. We had two big ones at our last house. One day many years ago, my mother-in-law and her companion, Bill were visiting. I was complaining that our yellow bells weren’t blooming well at all.
Now, Bill, was one of the sweetest natured, quietest men that you would ever meet. He was a retired principal and he loved to grow things. He always had a huge garden every summer. He leaned over and asked me if I had tried watering them.
I was kind of stunned. What a simple question, right? I mean, plants need water to grow and I watered the plants in pots at the house, but not the bushes. I grew up on over a hundred acres with a well. We didn’t really water much because the well might run dry. We had pear trees, plum trees, apple trees and scuppernongs among other things. They either made it or they didn’t. We didn’t coddle anything much.
But, when Bill and I were talking, we were in a deep drought and had been for quite a while. Why hadn’t I thought of watering the yellow bells? I admitted to him that I had not. He kind of smiled and told me that might help them bloom. He was right of course. He put some water on them while he was there and they did bloom soon after.
Seeing the yellow bells today reminded me of that sweet, wise man and of that conversation. They were blooming because of all of the rain. All living things require water to thrive. What else in our lives do we need to water to make them bloom? What areas of our lives have we allowed to fall into drought?
When I think about it, all relationships require some effort to keep them blooming. From friendships, to marriages, to families, to our spiritual relationship with God. Over time, if we don’t give them care and nurture, water, so to speak, they will not only stop blooming; they can eventually die.
The same goes for goals and dreams we may have. If we don’t devote any time to them, they can die too and some of them are likely meant to produce beautiful fruit.
Lent seems like an ideal time to consider the areas in our lives that may need watering. Who knows, by Easter, we may have more blooms than we know what to do with. What do you need to water?
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂