Summer is quickly departing. We are saying farewell to the high temperatures and the pool parties. Free time is clamped down by a new fall schedule. Instead of sidewalk chalk children are practicing flashcards for math…and all my flowers died.
All my flowers are dead but I am glad, because they made it
till September. For years now, the longest I could get them to thrive was until
July 31st. Was it the soil? No. Was it the location, maybe, but the
main reason they started dwindling was because I stopped watering them. It is
sad to admit, I didn’t give them a chance. In the hottest peak of summer heat
they were denied water.
I am happy to say I don’t treat all the living things under
my care this way. My Children have continued to survive each year past July 31st.
In the summer, they are really my focus, my goal, and joy. The reason July 31st
is so significant every year, is that it sets off an internal alarm. The
message: School is almost here, squeeze all you can, out of the days you have
left. These words play over and over in my mommy head.
At this season’s end we try to catch up by hitting one more
Amusement park, or one more visit to the grandparent’s home out of state. In
some way, we try to huddle in closer, holding out our hands to connect one last
time before autumn rolls in. In the midst of all this activity my flowers,
these delicate little beauties begin to die. Countless times I have forsaken
them without a fight for restoration.
“AH…what’s the point,
they are almost dead anyway”
But I still feel bad as I pass their brown shriveled
remains.
This year I decided to try harder. I put a water pitcher by
the door to remind myself to water them in the morning when I get up. As a
result, I gained a full month to enjoy the flowers before they folded up their
stems and died. The new school year distracted me this time. It is
disappointing, because I really love flowers. I enjoy savoring their beauty in
gardens across town. But the bottom line is, when the going gets tough, my kids
come first, everything else gets put aside
When I pass the yards that look like a tropical oasis, and
then pull into my own, sometimes a lump forms in my throat. This is because
mine is a water parched, desert like wasteland of a front yard. I am really sad
that I don’t take enough time for the small things, these details that bring
beauty to your front doorstep. In the rush of life and the to-do list I neglect
the extras, the little beautiful things. I am still hoping to change my poor
gardening skills, so I can take the time to cultivate beauty.
Do flowers raise the appreciation of my home? No, but they
raise the wonder and happiness in my heart. Allowing beauty to thrive in this
tween and early teen stage we are walking through with our kids reminds me-
life is delicate and special.
Flowers don’t slam doors, or talk back. They just lift their
heads to the sun and drink in the morning. They remind me this is a new day, a fresh
start, and a blank page. So why can’t I just water the poor little plants?
With bright reds and blues, yellows, and oranges I see the
complexity in the simple. Like magnificently dressed little ladies- are flowers
in their bloom. They don’t ask for much, just patience, faithfulness, and water.
It turns out, all this talk of water has made me thirsty. I
know I don’t drink the recommended daily allowance. And what about my soul? Do
I let God’s word water the cracked and dry places? He makes beautiful things
out of the dust…He makes beautiful things out of us. When I get busy it is easy
to neglect the beautifying of my soul.
Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you…Luke 12:27-28
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