Finding the Strength

  Sometimes when things are a bit rough and you find yourself fretting over what is not in your control, it is easy to lose sight of how many blessings are at hand.  Right now, I am dealing with a few things that seemingly have no satisfactory ending so it feels only that there are worse times ahead.  These things are not able to be "fixed" and weigh heavy on my mind.  For several months, I thought I was handling the situations well but, today, that idea all came tumbling down around me and made the day look dismal.  It felt that I was alone in my struggles.  I needed an "escape" so I headed out the back door to just breathe.  It seems that a bit of solitude can really put things back into perspective so I hiked my new path.  It did not take long for the mood to lift so I headed back to the Little Bayou House.  I was still perplexed about how to handle things and still saddened by the inevitable outcome of the situations but, at least, I felt that I could face what was to come.

  My stroll back to the house took me past a few flower gardens and into the east arbor.  It was at the base of this arbor that I was taken aback by the sight of a single bloom.  A daylily had burst forth with all its beauty.  How had I not noticed this before?  Three times, I had passed through that gate earlier in the day and not once had I seen the flower.  I knelt down and cupped the bloom in my hands and, strange as it seems, felt strength being poured into my soul.  I smiled.  With a renewed spirit and a happy heart, I could face the world again.  Throw me your best shot, Frustrations!  I've got this.

  You see, that daylily was a gift from my precious daughter-in-law.  No, she did not mean it to be the end-all cure for the world's woes and, as matter of fact, it was not even a true gift just a sweet gesture.  She just happened to have extra daylily rhizomes and called to see if I wanted some.  Long story short..I was truly thankful for her thinking of me.  The daylilies were a bright spot that I could turn to in my down times.  Today's bloom was perceived as a sign that I did, indeed, have the power to prevail!  Joanna will probably never know how her small act of kindness has been a light during so many dark times but, then, she is pretty amazing and makes the whole world a brighter spot by just being herself.