I was planted in Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania on November 22nd, 2010 at approximately 9:00 p.m EST when the airplane landed at Philadelphia International Airport. I didn’t want to bloom here. And some days I don’t want to bloom anywhere. I just want to eat popcorn, not brush my teeth, hide in my closet and leave all the dirty dishes in the sink and go and buy more dishes.
This morning when I was brushing my teeth I noticed something green sticking out of the drain in my bathroom sink. A sunflower seed had fallen down the drain and germinated. The seed was blooming where it was planted. ( If you are curious how the seed got in the drain, I will tell you at the end of this story.*)
A few weeks ago I was sad. I missed my friends in California. I wrote a story called Why you don’t have any friends. The day the story was published on my blog my friend Deborah stopped by unannounced with a gift of a blue vase. On one side of the vase it said, “Bloom where you are planted. ” The other side of the vase had part of a bible verse. “…the desert shall rejoice and blossom …It shall blossom abundantly…” Isaiah 35: 1-2
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.
Isaiah 35:1-2
A flower blooms when it has reached maturity. It opens and shows its colors. The flower presents its best to the world. Even in a dry parched desert a flower will bloom.
It rained yesterday, the grass is green and the trees are budding. Today I will bloom where I am planted. Today I will smile and be grateful for my life and for my friends who are close enough to hug.
Will you bloom where you are planted?
Please let me know in the comments. I would love to chat.
*Nugget, my son’s cockatiel often hangs out in my bathroom when she is too loud in the morning. I place her cage on the top of the bathroom counter. Some of her seeds were kicked into my sink when she ate her breakfast. The seeds were watered when I washed my face and the sun from the window gave the seed light to grow.