06/30/2021
Story time. 💗 I’m not a gardener by any stretch (this is my second summer ever attempting to grow a small garden), but the life lessons I’ve learned in the process have been pretty incredible. One being: growth takes time. (And lots of sunshine, water, and patience!)
I love dahlias. Last summer I planted some seeds and they grew and grew and eventually bloomed in late summer. This spring, I was told to rip out all of the dead plants from last summer, put down compost, and to replant. I did as instructed, leaving only one plant that was still alive - I just wasn’t sure if it was a large w**d or my dahlia plant. I hated to risk ripping out what might be a dahlia, so I left it and replanted all around it. Well this thick-stemmed plant grew and grew and GREW until it was nearly 6 feet tall, with lots of leaves, but no buds. It was kind of an eyesore, honestly, and I was unsure what it would become.
Weeks passed, the rains came, and buds finally appeared. This week, the plant - which is indeed a dahlia - finally bloomed! And wow, was it worth the wait. The gorgeous flowers are all shades of pink (yes, Evie picked out the seeds!) and the beauty bursting from the ugly stalk reminded me that - not only does growth take time, but the process often doesn’t look the way we think it will. It was a good reminder to keep taking one step at a time, to accept the murky middle and the unknowing…because eventually beauty will burst forth. Often in the most surprising ways. 💗
All that to say: hang in there. We are all re-emerging from a long winter, a season of loss and grief. Know that none of that time was wasted: growth was happening the whole time underneath the surface, and so much beauty is about to bloom in your life. It just takes some time. 🙏🏼
