As a child I was certain yard work would be my undoing & gardens were only a necessary evil, emphasis on 'evil.' Now as a proud renter with a yard, I'm finding I enjoy giving bushes their much-needed haircuts, aiding my plants by plucking out nemesis weeds, & seeing the wildflowers take over in a beautiful, natural way at the back of the yard. In addition, it gives me ponder time as I accomplish these tasks. This week, it was a parenting lesson.
Nature's messes are beautiful to me. I feel no need to scoop up these lovely petals the moment they drop. And yet, I am too quick to hover over my children, ready to immediately 'encourage' them to clean up every speck the moment it gets messy (my definition). Lesson: Cleanliness is next to Godliness; but, I believe, so is the freedom to be childlike & wonder at all the world around.
We needed a place to put wood last winter & the side of the house seemed perfect. Plenty of room with easy access. Summer flowers with a tenacity to live showed themselves recently from behind, brightening that woodpile incredibly! Lesson: Sometimes our circumstances seem to be crushing in the extreme, we feel we will not be able to bear them. Other times it seems it is others around us that diminish our dreams or spirits. It would be easy to then just give up under the weight, or put the blame on someone else for something that was 'put' upon us. However, that is not the plan. We must never give up. We have responsibility to get out from our own woes & help others. Children are shining examples of this. They try again & again to accomplish their feats. They forgive almost as quickly as they are wronged, and they certainly know how to dream their own big dreams.
1 comment:
Well said!
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