Plant the Seed. Be Diligent. It Will Grow.

The breeze is almost tropical.  In fact it is tropical.  My hair is blowing into my eyes.  My blouse is rustling in the wind.   It’s a fantastic feeling.  The sago palm tree leaves are swaying.  The azalea bushes, gardenias, and Spanish moss trees are beautifully in bloom and flourishing.  The gardener has cared for them tenderly, faithfully, and with commitment for many years.  She prunes, trims, pulls, plants, waters.   Why does she do it?  She gives to her plant life so she can enjoy what they give back to her.  If she takes good care of them they will produce beauty, shade, and fragrance that last and last.   In order to benefit from their attributes she has to give them the attention and nourishment they need.  She does it with care and love.  The same way she cares for and loves everything and everybody in her life.  That’s evident in the gift bags she has prepared for some of the little girls at her church.  These girls are the benefactors of much attention and spoiling.  When they get older and no longer need her primary attention they will become a part of a secondary group – a group I call the graduates.  As the girls mature they will no longer require the gifts, time, attention, and doting that they once needed.  Make no mistake this woman still loves the graduates very much and shows them her love.  But their needs are different and she addresses them differently.   Likewise, we plant seeds and they grow, we attend to the younglings when they are new and delicate and help them become strong.  But everyone and everything must grow up, mature, and move on to a new season of life.  Just as tiny seeds become mighty trees, dependents become independent; and protégés become mentors.  This caring woman in her senior years gives to the little girls the same way she gives to the flora and fawna in her yard.  And for much the same reasons, I would imagine; so they can flourish and she can enjoy their fruitfulness.  She can then reflect on how far they have come and marvel about the possibilities of how far they can go(grow).