Here we go again…
Well, here is the current situation.
If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that this little shamrock plant was a gift from Russ for our first St. Patty’s Day in this house.
I have thought we lost her numerous times, only to have her miraculously bounce back. She blooms at the most random times to remind me of God’s faithfulness.
And she’s given back double the blessing. Once when I transplanted her from the blue pot to the better draining clay pot, I put the old one out on the garage shelf.
The next spring, lo and behold it was sprouting fresh stems of those leaves I love so much. Totally neglected and unwatered, I noticed the green leaves amongst the stacks of old flower pots along the wall as I pulled the car in to park one day. The pot was only half filled with soil from the transplant project, yet those triangular leaflets were stretching out to reach the sun coming through panels in the garage door.
So I brought it inside and the two plants have happily sat on the shelf by our patio door ever since. Each morning they open their leaves to greet the day and then, as the sun sets, the leaves gently fold up for the night.
Until recently.
They were looking puny so I thought perhaps the intense return of summer heat coming in had been drying them up. Without using my trusted water meter, I overdid it with watering. Again.
The inhabitants of the blue container were wilting in sodden soil. The stems of the terra cotta pot were so long and leggy and anemic that something had to be done. And my heart sank.
In a drastic rescue effort, I filled both pots with fresh soil. I trimmed back the overgrown stems in an effort to promote new growth. And after googling propagation possibilities, I placed the tops in fresh soil. The hope is that they will grow roots and thrive.
Ironically as I look at them, the contrast is misleading.
Those lovely thick leaves in the prettier pot have no roots to sustain them right now. The shorn, leafless stems in the other are attached to a root system that I hope comes through for them.
How like the seasons in life.
Sometimes the most beautiful and vibrant are the most in need of a miracle to sustain a healthy life. There is a great need for something substantial and essential to happen beneath the surface that extends beyond the show and glow of what can be seen by others.
Sometimes the most heavily pruned and least attractive times are hiding roots that have been dug deep. Those roots will assure the future existence of a healthy, blooming life.
Both of these plants will receive sunlight, timely watering and lots of prayers in the days ahead.
It will be up to God how they grow.
Same with us.
In all seasons…He is faithful <3