bloom

 I was reading 'simple abundance' last night,
in my evening ritual of ending the day with affirmation and prayer.
I came across a paragraph that just spoke to me...

Writer Sarah Ban Breathnach writes:

"As I have tried and failed and tried again, I have discovered that if we are to flourish as creative beings, if we are to grow into Wholeness, we must bloom where we are planted - right now. You might not have the perfect career, home, or relationship. Few of us do. But if you have the gift of today, you've got another chance to re-create your circumstances and make them as perfect as it's possible to get it as right as you can make it. What more could you desire?" *

Well, I can certainly relate to the 'tried and failed and tried again' comment.

What more could I desire, she asks...

Truthfully, I could desire the life I thought I had. But I discovered that it wasn't what I thought it was, after all.

Following those revelations, and by my own choice, I've been 'planted' in a different place now - and so most of my desires have changed.

Yes, I'll always want a safe and secure home for my grandkids to come visit - though I don't know if that chance even exists anymore - and I will always want a relationship that provides mutual respect, love, protection, and partnership. And I do hope that those desires are in God's plan to fulfill for me someday. After all, 'He gives us the desires of our hearts' (Psalm 37:4) which I have always held to mean that He placed those particular desires within us, and He will bring them to pass.

For right now, my desires are pretty simple. I just wanna' be the best He can make me to be. I just want to bloom where I am, and wherever He puts me each day.
And I don't think anything will ever be perfect, so 'as perfect as possible' is just fine with me.

That rosebush in the photo above was a perfect example of this concept...

She had been planted in a shallow, narrow strip of clay and rocks next to a goat & cow barn. She may have been fertilized a bit with stall waste, but other than that, she was ignored. I know for sure she had never been trimmed back. And for over 2 years, she survived on an empty property with only rainwater for survival.

Then I moved onto the farm, and immediately trimmed her canes back, dug in some fertilizer, and watered her carefully but on a regular basis. Pretty soon, she was filled with an abundance of those glorious glowing red blossoms.... and they never stopped. I'd deadhead her, and she'd just keep putting out those big beautiful blooms for months on end. She gave me everything she had, and more... and I loved her for it.

I can draw a lot of comparisons between that rose bush and myself, let me tell you.
I've endured a lot, in hard rocky conditions and having a lot of 'barn waste' thrown on me. I've been ignored and thought to be useless. I've survived on very little. Right now, God is surrounding me with nourishing soil, fertilizer, and refreshing water. He's trimmed away all of the dead stuff, the stuff I don't need anymore. He's asking me to work on the roots of my life, to deal with some things so that they don't continue to choke the life out of me. And pretty soon, there will be blooms!

My friend, where are you planted in your life?

Have you been 'uprooted' physically by a move? Are you wilted by exhaustion? Are you dried up from lack of nourishment and refreshment in life (all work and no play)? Have you ceased blossoming (sharing your wonderful personality and talents with the world)? Are you a seed, just waiting to be planted and tended and cared for?

Today, find what you need... smile at a new neighbor. Take an hour nap. Take a book to the park or beach and read for an hour. Create a piece of art, or write a poem, or simply cut a flower from your yard and put it in a vase on your kitchen windowsill.

Plant your own seeds. Tenderly nurture your own dreams and desires, and lift them to God, the Universe, Mother Nature... whatever you consider to be your Higher Power. Live them today.

Bloom Where YOU Are Planted!

*Quote by Author Sarah Ban Breathnach, 'Simple Abundance: a Daybook of Comfort and Joy'

Warner Books 1995 BUY HERE