My Pussy Willow branches are growing roots! Soon I will be able to transplant them from the indoor vase I have had them in to the perfect spot in the backyard. They will be wonderful for shade, childlike wonder and privacy in the future. I too have been growing roots. It has happened just as quietly as my willows. We have been in our home for a year. I have made homes in a number of places over my adult years - a number of apartments full of roommates, hair and hormones, then on to a small dingy apartment in L.A., a number of stays at in-laws' basements and homes while between states and living quarters, the lovingly nicknamed "bowling alley" family housing of Michigan, the blissfully white and clean apartment post grad, then again thankful to have open armed in-laws with an empty basement and then on to this beautiful home. I have been so blessed to have grown so much through those years - I guess one cannot NOT grow through a myriad of roommates with different personalities, undergrad, various jobs and volunteer positions, marriage, joining the "real" workforce for a large corporation (think The Office), continually searching and focusing my goals through study, prayer and blessings to ensure I was following God's plan for me, undergoing the rigors of graduate school with no income, learning from my body how to manage migraines, weight gain and SAD, living long distance from your spouse for a year, again joining the "real" workforce in an area which the profession is primarily male, blissfully becoming the queasiest pregnant person ever, becoming a mother and subsequently having an unforgettable year full of its own blessings and mishaps. That's the Reader's Digest version. And yet, despite all those blessings allowing myself to stretch and grow, deep down I know I am like these willows: I am being tenderly grown for a particular spot in His garden and though I see so much growth in myself, He sees these buds as just the beginning. My Dad always says, "Bend like the willow, Annie." Am I brave enough, strong enough to do so for His will?
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Growing Roots
My Pussy Willow branches are growing roots! Soon I will be able to transplant them from the indoor vase I have had them in to the perfect spot in the backyard. They will be wonderful for shade, childlike wonder and privacy in the future. I too have been growing roots. It has happened just as quietly as my willows. We have been in our home for a year. I have made homes in a number of places over my adult years - a number of apartments full of roommates, hair and hormones, then on to a small dingy apartment in L.A., a number of stays at in-laws' basements and homes while between states and living quarters, the lovingly nicknamed "bowling alley" family housing of Michigan, the blissfully white and clean apartment post grad, then again thankful to have open armed in-laws with an empty basement and then on to this beautiful home. I have been so blessed to have grown so much through those years - I guess one cannot NOT grow through a myriad of roommates with different personalities, undergrad, various jobs and volunteer positions, marriage, joining the "real" workforce for a large corporation (think The Office), continually searching and focusing my goals through study, prayer and blessings to ensure I was following God's plan for me, undergoing the rigors of graduate school with no income, learning from my body how to manage migraines, weight gain and SAD, living long distance from your spouse for a year, again joining the "real" workforce in an area which the profession is primarily male, blissfully becoming the queasiest pregnant person ever, becoming a mother and subsequently having an unforgettable year full of its own blessings and mishaps. That's the Reader's Digest version. And yet, despite all those blessings allowing myself to stretch and grow, deep down I know I am like these willows: I am being tenderly grown for a particular spot in His garden and though I see so much growth in myself, He sees these buds as just the beginning. My Dad always says, "Bend like the willow, Annie." Am I brave enough, strong enough to do so for His will?
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