Blossoms and Fragrant Beauty

As long as I can remember I have been in love with flowers. When I was a little girl in Missouri, Black Eyed Susies and white Daisies were my favorites. Black Eyed Susies always captured my attention with their large dark brown centers and bright sunny yellow petals. They grew wild along the roads in the summer and I would always bring a smile to my face when I saw them.

One of our family friends had a big field behind their house that was filled with white daisies every year. It was not visible unless you walked over to a gate that was framed by vines growing along the fence obscuring the view of the field. It was like a hidden wonderland that filled my heart with joy!

After my family moved to Arizona, the only flowers that I encountered were in my Gram Ruth's yard. She had a bunch of rose bushes in her backyard and many varieties of cactus that bloomed in the Spring. Roses became my new favorite flower. As I adjusted to living in the dry, barren desert, it amazed me that something so lush and beautiful could thrive here.

Once I grew up and got married, it took a long time for me to find my inner gardener. I eventually came to understand that my biggest pitfall with attempting to grow things was a lack of consistent watering. Once I was able to get a decent irrigation system set up, I was very successful at growing some beautiful flowers of my own.

I still love roses and currently have eight rose bushes in my front yard that produce the most beautiful blooms!

I also have many different flowering bushes and vines which have brought me much joy throughout the last 16 years. Among them is a Wisteria that is quite young and has now had it's second year of producing blossoms. They are so brilliantly beautiful! Purple clusters of flowers that emit the most intoxicating aroma... It has not been in my yard very long, however, there was another before this one.

I had planted and babied that Wisteria for years. It grew to be so large that it covered about three quarters of the pergola that extends from the front of my house over a flagstone patio. I loved that plant so much! Each spring when it bloomed I invited a friend over to sit in its shade and breath in deep droughts of it’s fragrant blossoms while we sipped on tea.

Then one day I noticed that a small section of it had turned brown. One week later, the entire plant had died! It was such a shock and I was truly grieved by the loss of such an amazing and beautiful plant. I desperately sought to understand what had happened to my beloved plant. The only thing I could conclude was that pocket gophers had invaded the area and ate away the root system. In that moment I decided that I would plant another “someday”, but did not have the heart to try it again.

It was approximately five years later that I noticed a new unfamiliar plant that had popped up a couple of feet over from where the Wisteria had been growing. It looked like it might be a tree, but I did not know for sure what it was. I decided to let it grow to see what it might become. After a couple of years, I noticed that it had lost it's leaves in the winter, and I waited to see what would come of it in the Spring. When the leaves began to sprout, I couldn't believe my eyes. I began to wonder if it might be a volunteer Wisteria, but it felt risky to dare to believe that the plant that I had lost and grieved could actually have sprung up again on it's own and was now going to grace my garden again with it's luscious beauty and fragrance.

I went to my local nursery and asked to see a Wisteria plant. The garden employee walked me back to the section where they had Wisteria growing. My heart leapt for joy when I realized that I did have my very own Wisteria again!

It was another year before this plant produced it's aromatic blossoms, but it was well worth the wait. At the first sign of blossoms forming, I immediately invited some friends over to come celebrate this precious gift from the Creator with a cup of tea.

It bloomed again this Spring and has quadrupled in size since I first noticed and confirmed that it was indeed a Wisteria plant. Again I invited my friends to come enjoy the fragrant blossoms and a cup of tea. It was such a sweet picture of redemption! I loved my first Wisteria so much, but this one holds even more joy in my heart as I watch it grow and thrive.

One thing I have often noticed about flowers is that there is a cycle to their life that is much like our cycle of life. The earliest stages of life require nurture, patience, and determination to allow the plant to become established and strong. Then, just when it seems like it may never grow and produce anything of value, it begins to add branches that reveal that this plant is still alive and is becoming stronger, even if we cannot see it. When we wait long enough, we eventually see a sudden burst of growth; a surprising evidence of life. We begin to see that although the plant appeared to be stunted and seems to have become a disappointment, if we hang in there long enough, we will stand amazed by the beauty and delight of a plant that is maturing and producing good things - shade, fragrance, and something beautiful to gaze upon. These are signs of life that bring a sense of hope that things can change and grow with a little patience, love, and the proper care required for the plant to reach it's full potential.

When I think about life and the way that we grow and change, I notice a resemblance. There is an old gardening adage that says that when you plant something like a bush or a tree, "the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps". I believe that this is true of us as humans as well. Often when we are beginning to recognize that there are some changes that we need to make inside, the first year that we begin to work through these changes, it seems that nothing is really happening. The second year we might see some small changes that are welcomed, but do not seem to be enough to really make a difference. The third year after we begin the process of making changes, if we are determined and persistent, we will begin to see great leaps forward.

This can be said of our own attempts to make changes within ourselves. It can also be true of watching someone we love attempt to grow, or in our relationships with others. Why do I feel the need to share this blooming analogy with you? Because it is a wonderful way to think about the steps it takes to grow and change and how patience, determination, and nurture can and does bring about positive change that can bring an abundance of delight and a sense of beauty that we would otherwise miss out on. Watching and waiting to see what may come of uncertain situations can produce wonderful surprises. It is truly worth the wait!

If you are contemplating changes in your life and need some guidance and support, reach out to Finding Hope Institute. We would be happy to walk the path of change with you! Maybe under a Wisteria with a cup of tea....