My daisies suddenly burst open. Truthfully, the buds had been taking shape for days. Most of the year the daisies are just nice green plants, but for a month every year, they are stunning. The day I planted the small flowers I hoped for the best. Placing them gently in the ground, I gave them food and water. On a consistent schedule, I fed them, (not bacon an eggs, but you know, plant food). Although there were time I wondered if they’d make it, today they’re very strong. Through the years the flowers have multiplied. And then suddenly, they are glorious to behold.
Our lives are unfolding in the same way. It takes a long time to reach our fullest potential. Fortunately, we have a Master Gardener watching over us. “Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it.” (Isaiah 27:2-3) There are days when we don’t feel it, but our strength is growing. God is diligent towards His children. “The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you at dry and restoring your strength. You will be a well-watered garden, like an ever flowing spring.” (Isaiah 58:11) Waiting takes patience, but there is beauty in our future. “And this is going to be a glorious unfolding. Just you wait and see and you will be amazed. You’ve just got to believe the story is so far from over; So hold on to every promise God has made to us. And watch this glorious unfolding…” (Song: Glorious Unfolding by Steven Curtis Chapman) God’s been planning good things for a long time. In an instant, we’ll see His beauty unfold. “I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. (Isaiah 48:3)
Hope is the joyful expectation that something good is about to happen. I couldn’t help thinking about hope while sitting at a graduation party tonight while numerous conversations played around me. They were filled with plans of the future, loaded with lofty goals and big dreams. All the seniors were looking ahead, making plans to find their place in this great big world. The theme throughout the party: an expectation of a bright and exciting future. God couldn’t agree more. “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.'” (Jeremiah 29:11)
The flowers I planted today were nice, but they hold no comparison to their future glory. Right now they’re a bit sparse, a little droopy, and a bit on the small side. Don’t get me wrong, the yellow flowers (coreopsis, yarrow, and petunias) on my front porch have already added a ‘touch of color.’ The red geraniums are taking a stand under the pergola of the back porch. However, I am expecting more color as summer approaches. My flowers need the basics: sun, water, and perhaps a sprinkling of Miracle-Gro. But their greatest need: just a little more time.
The children’s’ song “Rain, Rain Go Away” is appropriate for my area of the country. Heavy and continual storms lingered for days, leaving roads closed, fields underwater, and rivers pushing over their banks. Persistent gray skies affect the temperament of everyone. There’s an attitude that sneaks in and causes us to want to hide under the covers until the storms pass. After all, who wants to face another day of running through the rain or fight yet another losing battle with a windblown umbrella? Watching the rain fly by my window makes me think it will never end. Fortunately, we all know the sun will shine again.
Recently, I had the opportunity to paint an accent wall in a teenager’s room with a chevron design (think Charlie Brown’s t-shirt, with pink and gray for the colors). On another wall I painted Disney quotes, which brought to mind that sometimes we need to change our outlook on life. A few of the phrases were, “…because hakuna matata (translation: ‘no worries…’) and the bear necessities will always be our guide…” My personal favorite was “We believe in happy endings.” Although these lines are from Disney movies, they carry a good message.
When my large family celebrates Christmas together, we generate alot of trash. After the gifts are opened, the living room looks like a hurricane came through. There are boxes, paper, cardboard, and tissue paper strewn all over the floor, chairs, and sometimes on people (mostly from my brothers throwing paper ‘bombs’ at me). Don’t get me started on the kitchen, as food is consumed at a rapid rate and the trash can gets filled and the bag replaced repeatedly throughout the day. When the parties are over and the last eggroll is eaten, we sort the things we recycle from the things we call trash. Either way, it all gets hauled out.
One year, my family took a vacation to Lake Tahoe. We lugged a variety of suitcases and backpacks through the airport to check-in. As we stood in the long line waiting, we watched as dozens of bags were weighed, identifications shown, and seat assignments given. When we finally got to the front of the line, they weighed my sister-in-law’s bag and discovered it was too heavy to meet the weight requirements. So right there in front of everyone she had to open her luggage and lighten the load. Digging through well-packed clothes, carefully placed shoes, and strategically placed accessories, she decided what items would be left behind. Quite frankly, she really wanted to take it all with her.
Have you ever tried to restore an old piece of furniture? It’s not easy. This summer my niece found an old beat-up dresser at a barn sale. Somehow that old dusty, paint-peeling specimen of furniture found its way into my garage. The first thing I did was wipe the cobwebs and dust it off to see what it looked like underneath, (not a lot better, truth be told). The hinges were crooked, the paint was peeling, and some of the handles were missing. So I scraped, sanded, and scrubbed it; then began the slow process of painting it layer by layer. It took awhile and I had to backtrack a few times, but today the sparkling white dresser sits in my niece’s bedroom with shiny new handles and a whole new outlook on life.
The Echo Canyon Trail on Camelback Mountain is quite a climb. While navigating the mountain I came across narrow, pebbled-filled paths, boulders that I had to literally crawl over, and hundreds of larger rocks where I stepped carefully as I passed over them. Many challenges warred with the goal of reaching the top: the relentless heat in Phoenix, the weight of the water bottles that absolutely must be carried, and the lack of visual confirmation that any progress was being made. The hike to the summit seemed endless as every thought told me to give up: it’s just too hard, it’s just too far, and I just can’t do this. Then suddenly it happened, I came to the end of the trail and all that went before me seemed trivial: my perspective changed when I was standing at the top.
For my mom’s 60th birthday, I wanted to do something really special for her so I decided to sew her a quilt. There was only one small glitch in my lofty plan: I didn’t know how to sew. Luckily, I knew someone who did. The Family and Consumer Science Teacher (Home Ec to me), was an expert. She opened her classroom for sewing nights and patiently taught me each step. Quilters seem to have their own foreign language. When I heard ‘Stitch in the ditch” I thought it was a reference to where I should throw the pitiful-looking thing I was making. My early work was not impressive! Sometimes I’d look at those frayed squares and crooked stitches and doubt that it was going to develop into something worth making. The waiting for a completed project seemed endless. Yet surprisingly, little by little, something quite lovely began to take shape. And finally, the completed work became a beautiful and treasured gift.