Written by Amanda
I was so excited to get a mostly kid-free day away with my close friend. It had been a hard past two months and I was so ready to share, vent, listen, and laugh with a good friend. When we came back to my house from our first round of fun, I noticed something in the front yard.
Flowers.
Last year for our May preschool unit we learned about seeds, plants, and gardening. As a part of this unit, I bought some fake flowers from the dollar store for Z to play with. They had been stored in our toy bin under the awning in the front yard since.
A younger version of myself would have been annoyed and irritated, that my boy (and his other boy-friends) had dug in the garden boxes in front of the house and made a dirty mess. Instead? I felt my heart melt. I saw it as a sign of beauty.
After this event, Z decided to do some flower re-arranging and I told him: “go for it!”. He even pulled up some weeds in the process. He was beaming at me, so proud of his colorful and cheery addition to the wintery dull colors of the yard.
These winter flowers showed me something important. First of all that I don’t sweat the little stuff anymore-I just don’t have the time, energy, or “care” left in me to be particular about a messy garden bed. ( I think this past year has just knocked that all out of me). Second, I saw the heart of my son (and his friends). I saw beyond the mess. I saw a kind thoughtful gesture from my tender-hearted son.
We are all struggling through a pretty icky winter right now-(and I’m not just talking about the actual weather). This past year has been rough, dark, cold, and more than a little messy. It’s easy to freeze up and toughen. We all need winter flowers in our lives right now-simple small gestures of tender-heartedness that help warm us up and help our hearts melt.
What does that look like for you? How can you show yourself a little grace and love? How about for those around you? Maybe some words of encouragement? A thank you note? A small gift, tip, favor? A friendly wave?
For now I am letting these fake dollar store blooms hang out in my front garden bed as a symbol. To represent how far I have come-how much has changed in me through this season. But also to remind me to try to find small gestures-simple ways to bring warmth and light to those around me in these cold and messy times.
PS: I never add affiliated links to my blog because well this is a hobby not a money making deal for me. But this book connects directly to what I talk about in this post: Front cover and all.
If you are needing hope, peace, and comfort in the difficult circumstances of this current winter we are in then, I would encourage you to check out Winter Has Passed . I can personally vouch that it’s an awesome read because I read it many times ( I am the editor.) Check it out here:
Shemainternational.com/product/winter-has-passed