So, this past year my family moved. We had lived in the same home for 18+ years. After moving 18 years worth of “stuff” to the new place we went back numerous times to clean, touch up paint and spruce up the yard before listing our home for sale.
On one of our trips back to the old house my son said to me, “Mom, we have to take these!” I looked over at him to see that he was pointing down at our beautiful lillies in the front yard. We had planted them the year before and they provided a vibrant and bright splash of color to the front yard. Of course, it was early Spring and the lillies were just beginning to grow and their vibrant color had not yet emerged. At first I was hesitant to move them, afraid that they would not handle the move well. My son won out and we finally dug them up on a later trip back to the house and brought them to our new home.
Anyone who has moved knows that its a BIG job! Somehow, our lillies were forgotten and left in temporary pots under the deck at our new home. We had become busy with unpacking and getting settled in our new home and forgot to re-plant the lillies in the ground. Each time we worked in the yard I would walk past the lillies and say to my son, “We really need to transplant those to the yard.” Well, we got busy and Spring soon turned into Summer.
One day, as I was sitting in the family room, I looked out the window and a flash of color caught my eye. As I took a second look, I realized that my lillies were in full bloom in their temporary pots under the deck. I quickly got up and walked outside to investigate further. I was amazed to see that each and every flower was in full bloom! I was surprised to see them in bloom as they had not received much light under the deck. In fact, I was shocked that they had bloomed at all. They were all leaning in odd directions as we had failed to support the stems due to the fact that we had quite literally forgotten all about them.
As I stood staring at the beautiful flowers a smile lit up my face. I LOVED my lillies and they were absolutely beautiful! It seemed that they didn’t care where they were planted, they were determined to bloom full and bright regardless of their surroundings. They had endured the shade and reduced sunlight. They had endured the small meager amount of dirt that we had planted them in “temporarily”. They had endured the lack of water as we had “forgotten them” quite literally. In spite of all the hardships they had endured, they were bright and beautiful.
I couldn’t help but think about all my wonderful friends as I stood looking at my lillies. I knew that many of my friends were enduring hardships of their own. We each face our own set of challenges in life and sometimes we may feel like these lillies, left and forgotten.
While many may be struggling to find nourishment spiritually or temporally, we can continue to shine forth as beacons of hope to others. Regardless of our circumstances, we are important. We matter. There will always be someone who’s life we can touch through our example. Rather than hibernate in the dark we can shine forth and bring light to others through our service. Just as my lillies emerged from the darkness and overcome obstacles, we can overcome our trials and find beauty in living.
How will you choose to beautify the world around you? Whose spirit can you lift today? Is there someone you know that could use a good dose of laughter, a gentle touch, or a kind word? How will you make a difference in the life of another. Will you? When we forget about ourselves and seek to lift another, our burdens become lighter.
Don’t despair if you are feeling “forgotten”. Search deep within yourself and find your “roots”. Whether you are planted on a firm foundation currently, or tipping slightly over, let your roots grab hold and pull you back to where you can stand firm again. Remind yourself that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! YOU MATTER! Grab on to the HOPE that you will again STAND TALL and FIRM in your foundation.
Take one day at a time. CHOOSE to find the beauty in today!
Reflections By Jen 