when lilacs reinforce a lesson 250/366
I woke up this morning wishing I'd had this "revelation" while I was writing last night: the "Granddaddy" of all the Grayson City Park trees? It reminds me of Job. It was stripped of everything. There was nothing left that was "worth having". All of its leaves, all of its branches were removed from it. Only a small part of the trunk remains. It didn't deserve it, it didn't ask for it, it wasn't fair and didn't seem right in any way, shape or form. There was no disease, it seemed like a senseless thing, but it happened.
This morning God reiterated the lesson I shared yesterday as I looked at what was happening right off of my back porch, behind the swing, this week, especially today.
Years ago I planted two lilac bushes to provide a small measure of privacy. They bring me much happiness in the spring when they bloom and they provide a lush, green hedge all summer into late fall. But last month something attacked them. Gradually, from one branch to the next, 90% of the leaves turned brown and fell off. Sam chose to live out his 18 hours underneath their protection and I had no desire to look closely at what was causing the problem. I was concerned they were dying too.
Recently I noticed new green buds forming on some of the branches which gave me hope. They have developed into leaves. What I thought was sure death, is not. This morning I received something extraordinary when I looked closely. It is the wrong season, but look at the gift that is being given to me to watch unfold:
Lesson: sometimes life doesn't go the way I plan, but there is still living to do and beauty to be experienced. If I am focusing on what it was, or what I thought it would be, or what I think it should be, I might very well miss some amazing surprises that now are and those that are being formed.
This morning God reiterated the lesson I shared yesterday as I looked at what was happening right off of my back porch, behind the swing, this week, especially today.
Years ago I planted two lilac bushes to provide a small measure of privacy. They bring me much happiness in the spring when they bloom and they provide a lush, green hedge all summer into late fall. But last month something attacked them. Gradually, from one branch to the next, 90% of the leaves turned brown and fell off. Sam chose to live out his 18 hours underneath their protection and I had no desire to look closely at what was causing the problem. I was concerned they were dying too.
Recently I noticed new green buds forming on some of the branches which gave me hope. They have developed into leaves. What I thought was sure death, is not. This morning I received something extraordinary when I looked closely. It is the wrong season, but look at the gift that is being given to me to watch unfold:
Lesson: sometimes life doesn't go the way I plan, but there is still living to do and beauty to be experienced. If I am focusing on what it was, or what I thought it would be, or what I think it should be, I might very well miss some amazing surprises that now are and those that are being formed.
Comments
Post a Comment
thank you for taking the time to share