Tuesday, June 30, 2009

After winter


There was just one little blossom on the stem when I planted my pansy last year. But it was a pretty little blossom so I put in it in my window box with a few other little blossoms and hoped it would be happy.

The summer was hard on it. Or maybe it was me. The unrelenting desert sun and dry heat, combined with my unpredictable watering and frequent travels, left it struggling at times, though valiantly blossoming at others.

And then came winter -- a cold, hard winter, freezing temperatures and deep snow that could only have been very hard on my already-stressed little pansy.

Imagine my surprise then, when spring came and there was green sprouting in my window box. And imagine my delight when those little sprouts turned into big, healthy masses of pansy blossoms.

I can't help but wonder if it was surviving all the tough stuff that made that little pansy stronger and more beautiful. Did it find something inside that helped it hang on through the dry and then the cold? Did the quiet time of turning in to heal build even greater determination? Did the time to reflect, away from the bright lights of life, help it celebrate even more the beauty of sunshine and warmth?

It makes me think.
And gives me hope.
And makes me wish the same for one who is in the middle of her own private winter.

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