April 5, 2012

A Time to Bloom

This post is actually from a little over a year ago, but the sentiment behind it is not time sensitive and for some reason, I wanted to share it again.

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The weather is warming up here in the south and we all can’t wait for the coming of spring. I’m always amazed at how plants undergo such transformations as the seasons change. The above image might not look like much of anything, but would you believe that the picture above and the one below are the exact same shrub?

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Everything necessary for these gorgeous blooms (Viburnum if you’re curious) to form is present inside the small brown buds pictured above. The only thing not present is the right conditions. If these bushes had a brain, they could desire to bloom with all their might, but until the conditions are right…nothing more than twigs are going to be growing here.

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That’s another thing about the brown twigs above…while it looks like not much is going on with them, they are growing and living, preparing for the time when the blooms will burst forth.

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I don’t know about you, but this encourages me so much. I’ve definitely experienced periods in my life where it felt like no growth was taking place. Not growth in the physical sense, but other types…spiritual, creative, emotional. I believe that, like these plants, I already have everything I need inside to be something beautiful. And when the conditions are right, that beauty will become more evident. If you are going through a period where it feels like you aren’t growing, take heart. Your time to bloom might be just around the corner!
Happy Thursday friend!