We suddenly have had the arrival of summer this week. It has been quite the shock to our systems that had gotten used to sprinter (winter and spring together)! That spring always comes and then is followed by summer was becoming hard to believe. It reminds us that the promises of God do come true, in His time.
One of the joys of spring for me is the coming into blossom of a beautiful yellow flower that we call Marsh Marigold or Cowslip. I wait for it every year. We have done lots of driving and we have located only about 3 other places where we know we can always see some, every year. We made sure that we found and enjoyed one of those special places last Sabbath afternoon and we were not disappointed.
Many years ago, at least 45 years ago, 2 plants were brought home to the farm and planted in a wet area along our property in the roadside ditch that runs along our farm. For many of those 45 years those 2 plant clumps lived in their place where they were planted. And they thrived. They blessed us every year and spring with glowing yellow in the midst of the brown of the dead plants that follow a long winter. They give us hope of new life returning and that the growing season is once again upon us.
These beautiful flowers have a short life, and their parent plants soon get hidden as the other plants grow up taller and hide these water loving jewels.
We must enjoy them quickly! Often, they grow in with plants that are not desirable--wild mustard, tall grasses, nettles....
One year, maybe 25 years ago, my father watched several near accidents happen at the end of our driveway because of obstructed view. He was determined to fix that problem! The driver's view was sort of blocked by some growing cattails which also like wet growing conditions. The cattails were happy growing on the slope above the marsh marigolds. And his chosen method for getting rid of the cattails spelled doom for the marigolds in my opinion. I determined that the marigolds should be saved. After all, how often do you see this beautiful wildflower in other places as you drive along? I think you might agree, it is kind of rare to see them. So, I decided to save them and move them far away from the trouble and possible destruction. One of our driveways is at the top of a hill with slopes to the east and to the west. It seemed like a good plan to me to divide them and put some to the west and some way further east away from the effects of the herbicide planned to be used on the cattails. Surely some would survive!
I was so relieved to find out the next few years that we now had pretty, yellow flowers in 2 places that we could enjoy. And then, as the years after that began to go by, we all began to be amazed. With each year, something miraculous began to happen. Remember, for at least 20 years those 2 clumps of beauty stayed as was--2 beautiful clumps of flowers. Then came the miracle! One clump became 3 and then 4 and then 5 and then more. On each side of our hill, we now have an increasingly growing line of marsh marigolds, growing in a line down the slopes. Every year the lines of beautiful flowers grow longer and longer. We have not planted new plants again. It is probably seeds being spread, but then why didn't seed spread happen those first 20 years? It is all a mystery and seemingly like a miracle. I love miracles!!! I love my God who gives me miracles to make me thankful and happy. Our miracle has multiplied more than a 100-fold. When we attempted a quick count, we counted nearly 250 plants all coming from the 2 original plants that were divided and moved.
God placed us in the world to flourish and grow into something beautiful--to share with others that pass our way. They stop and see that God is good and see His beautiful love shining from us. We can stay in our places! We will grow and live and thrive and share. But sometimes, the Master Gardener decides to move us, to make us step away and beyond from what we know how to do and are comfortable doing. The Gardener digs us up and divides us and spreads us out into new territory. We touch new lives and share God's blessings with them, then they get to grow along with us and share with others that God loves them too! The miracle of growth of new plants for God happens!
