Its a sure sign of spring when you see the flowers blooming. Not in my yard, of course, because I am starting a new trend of organic gardening. Translation: My flowerbeds have not been weeded and the weeds are taking over. But hey, since everything organic is in right now, why not try to have an organic garden and let the weeds rule.
I do love flowers, the colors, the aroma, the way they brighten your day. Flowers remind us that we all need a little rain in our lives in order to bloom. The challenge is that rain Is not always what we want. We want sunshine and warmth, the simple things in life. But life is much more complicated than that.
I used to think I had it all figured out. I knew who the good people were, who the bad people were, and how to survive in the midst of them all. My dad once told me that the world is made up two kinds of people: warm fuzzies and cold pricklies, and the key to happiness was to figure out who was who and avoid getting poked.
But people are not that simple which makes life even more complex.
With age also comes life experience, and I have learned that sometimes the rain brings out the cold pricklies in us all. And sometimes, it takes love and forgiveness to soften the prickles.
So, I may weed my flowerbeds this week. It rained a little and the ground is soft, making the roots easy to pull up. I might also go to the greenhouse and buy some annuals to plant.
My favorites are Impatiens. They bloom in partial sun and spread throughout the flowerbed making a checkerboard of colors in our yard. Its not my favorite task, but it needs to be done. And when it is done, I can sit back on the porch swing sipping sweet tea and admire the beauty.
Spring is here, and its time. Forget going organic, its time to get to work. In my garden and in my life. I cant let the weeds of indifference, unforgiveness and bitterness take root in my heart. So its time to pull them out, root and all.
The rain has come and gone. And though I know it will rain again, I know its time to start blooming. I wont let the weeds rule my heart or my life. Gods Son and His warmth are really all I need even in this complicated, chaotic world of hurting people who seem like cold pricklies.
Though I dont have it all figured out, even at my age, I know that love is the answer. Love will make the flowers bloom. Love will make the colors blossom. And if we choose love, and make no mistake it is a choice, we can spread the beauty throughout our lives to every warm fuzzy and cold pricklie we know.
Once we choose love, we can then sit back and admire the beauty only God can create.
