Last night after my run, I was in the backyard and noticed my rosebush had a bloom on it.

That might not seem like a big whoop-de-doo, but I planted it only weeks ago and assumed it would not bud until next year. My peonies transplanted from Mom’s garden a couple months ago have not bloomed yet (and probably won’t until next year). Several plants in my frontyard have not bloomed yet. A couple years ago, all these non-blooming would have deeply saddened me and I would have given up on gardening forever. But Mom is a pro at it and made me realize plants are a little hardier than I might think. So I did what she told me…be patient, snap off the dead buds and flowers, and water them regularly.

It works like magic. When I got closer to my rosebush, I noticed tons of buds all over it, ready to bloom any day. *dance*

So simple. I think life is really that simple. We are just too busy making it complicated to notice.

Yet I did spot one ray of light in this murk: God made men and women true and upright; we’re the ones who’ve made a mess of things. Ecc. 7:29