Happy Easter 2021

New & Old Life has begun, again, on Sara’s Porch today …

 

When I first arrived to my new temporary residence, being displaced from my home due to a flood & remodel, I bought a flower to brighten the porch up along with some pillows I found at both The Home Depot and its competitor Lowe’s … I had to go to both stores to get the perfect combination of size, design, and color … gorgeous butterflies & stripes, to me, the perfect combination of contrast … I fell in love with the union of these two rivals’ porch pillow babies … I also had a turquoise pot in my home garage that matched the pillows perfectly! God is good …

 

I bought the flower in the dark, at night, on the outside of Lowe’s nursery. I looked over the whole bunch of flowering plants when I saw the little fledging buried in the nooks & crannies of all the other plants tentacles. It was reaching for air, and me, at the same time, so I rescued it … my little beautiful rescue plant.

 

The new scene on my porch brought a huge smile to my face every time I left or came home, and even when I was peering out my new kitchen window, I could see the beauty smiling at me, I smiled back.

 

As I arrived and left each day, I breathed in the wafting fragrance of this little wonder and I flirted with my plant … “You smell goooood!”. It filled me joy & happiness in a time when I was falling off the map from being displaced from my comfort and familiarity of my own home during a pandemic.

 

When Windstorms came, I placed the beautiful little flower out of harms way, in the corner of the porch shielded from the wind. I even raced home a time or two to do just that! He was blown around a bit, a few flowers lost, but could feel his relief when moved him to safety …

 

Then, a sudden, harried trip away brought tragedy to the little oasis. As I fled the scene, discombobulated, I glanced at the plant and made the decision it could wait to be watered when I returned, just like my indoor plants, it was not so hot out yet and I thought it would be a good experiment to see if would be ok … I thought to myself “it is strong like my other plants … it will do fine “

 

Upon my returned, as I summited the stairs to the porch, I was heartbroken … my plant was drooped over like a dying man looking for water in the desert. I gasped out loud and instantly was so angry with myself for not watering my little guy before I left. I immediately watered the little dude and prayed like mad for his survival.

 

I called a friend and told him of this tragedy, and he said, “plants will always try to find a way to live, give him some water and he will be fine.” I found truth in his statement and it comforted me.

 

After much water, and a few shaky days, I picked off the dead leaves & flowers that did not make it and my little survivor did perked up but was not the same … he was now bearing the scars of life, the wind, the sun, no water. Growing pains as well … the little plant now become a bigger plant and was outgrowing its home/pot. The roots needed more dirt to grow into. As it grew, it looked a bit more awkward, not as cute as the day I brought it home. Life was taking its toll on the baby.

 

I decided to repot him into a bigger pot I had in my home garage. Yet I needed to retain the turquoise pot that matched the pillows. I spied the perfect corner to put him in, one that received full sun, it is still not too hot yet and I am sure he will thrive there.

 

To The Home depot I go … 3 new babies … cute and colorful. They remind me of the first baby I brought home. I grabbed 3 of them, but I need more pots as I am not sure they will all fit into the one turquoise pot and I just could not leave the 3rd one behind. Then over to my home garage to pick out pots of yester year.

 

I woke up Easter Sunday to have coffee on my porch and started the replanting and rearrangement of the flowers into their new respective pots. I did not realize the one pot I grabbed had blue butterflies on it just like the blue butterfly pillows. That to me, is God in the mix … making things perfect.

 

Now everyone is replanted and in their new homes (except me … Ha!) I can tell the ol’ guy is so much happier in his new bigger home. The corner he now lives in needed a boost of color. I have feeling he will bloom again now that he has more space to stretch. We have been in a relationship for a while now and I have a new found respect for him and want to make him happy.

 

The new little ones are so cute! They are so beautiful and are making me happy again … life will kick their ass, but they will survive.

 

Sometimes life will kick our ass, the wind will blow, people will think we are stronger than we are, some will try to shield us, we will not get watered, we will be on death’s door step, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, maybe even physically, parts of us will die and must be pruned, we need be replanted so our roots can expand, and we can grow taller, it will be awkward, and we will not look the same anymore (emotionally, mentally, spiritually & physically). People will find new respect for us as we keep going no matter what. They, and MOST importantly, Ourselves, will see us in a different light, one of longevity, experience, and tenacity.

 

New babies will come along and look shinier than we do, but survivors will fulfill their purpose, growing/expanding, stretching, decorating a new corner that was flowerless before, bringing more, new, revised beauty to the scene in a different way. Survivors want to live and find a way to live despite the obstacles put in their way or no matter what happens to them. Survivors bloom again.

 

This is New Life coming over us once again. What a perfect day with Christ’s resurrection as the backdrop, to start a new life with a fresh perspective. The plant, and we, ourselves, can start another new life today … with the will to want to live, grow and change …

 

I have been in a relationship with God now for a while and I have a new found respect for Him as well and I want to make Him happy, fulfilling my purpose. The will to survive comes from Him who makes all things new again …

 

I want to live in this new life that starts again today … each day is another chance to live a new life … thank you Jesus for another chance and a few beautiful plants to bring the lesson home to my heart.