Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Strong Enough

Grandma graciously gave us some bulbs last fall and we have been anxious to see if they will grow. As spring slowly starts to show its marvelously hope filled head around hear, we are seeing signs that our efforts of digging and planting and hoping are not in vain.

Yesterday my daughter and I were excitedly noticing some little tiny purplish points poking out of the ground. These were part of a new crop that we had forgotten about on a different side of the house than the rest. It was thrilling to discover what was already there. In her exuberance she started pulling back dirt and digging around to see more of the plant coming up and help it grow.

Have you ever made efforts to change and grow as a person only to forget where you planted those efforts. I have. When I find them I am usually in much too much of a hurry to bring them out and show them off. Problem is most of the time they aren't ready for flaunting. I get damaged in the process because I feel failure instead of progress.

I am not suggesting that we don't take our newfound qualities and attributes out for a spin. Or hide them under a bushel. Maybe just that some things are better left protected for a while. Left under that ground just enough to be nourished and grow even stronger and then push up out into the light.

Notice I didn't say fully developed, just strong enough. There are little purplish points in all of us, just under the surface. We can always get better and improve upon what we are. We just need to be kind and nurturing to ourselves before we expose ourselves to the sometimes harsh conditions of this world.

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