Wednesday, January 17, 2018

In Bloom


   I purchased this plant in May as was part of my Mother's Day gift...
my attempt to brighten up my kitchen.
It did well for about a month, and then things went downhill fast!

It didn't help matters that we went on a trip for a few weeks. I placed it outside, and 
gave instructions to the neighbor on how to care for it. Unfortunately, there was a torrential
downpour while we were gone and the pour thing nearly drowned. 

A few weeks after that, we had another trip. This time, I asked the neighbor
to take the half-dead plant to her house so that it wouldn't get too much or too little water.
It had 2 leaves when we left...and 1 1/2 leaves when we got back.
The neighbor's chickens were trying to eat it!

I continued to care for my pour plant. It was quite
pitiful, really. But, I watered it regularly. I didn't give up, even though I was tempted to
pitch it in the trash and buy a cactus. 

On Christmas morning, there was a bud that just about to bloom!
I was so excited! I figured I had another day or so, but that afternoon, I was surprised 
to find a beautiful pink flower decorating my kitchen window.

Of course there is an illustration to be made, right?

The week of Christmas was kind of a rough time. It's always just a
little bit sad to be so far away from extended family. The kids are extra nostalgic,
thinking about previous years when they were with grandparents, or seeing the Christmas lights.
And to be honest, we were discouraged with the ministry. We've poured five years into "Pine Hill,"
and we haven't seen much return.

On Christmas morning, God whispered encouragement into my heart. 
Sometimes, it's not easy. Sometimes you want to just through it in the garbage
and start over. But, how much sweeter it is when you can see the beauty that comes
from care and patience.