These Are My JOTtings...

Bloom Where You Are Planted

The rose gives us a way to say, "I love you!" in tangible form.

The hibiscus bush shows us how to live a colorful life in the hottest and muggiest weather. Many of its richest blooms are displayed in the heat of summer.

The pansies and violas show us how to live beautifully in days of harsh cold. Everything within us seeks the warmth. Yet, the pansies and violas show their richest colors in times like these.

The coleus plant shows that color can be displayed without great blooms. A coleus branch can be broken off to start a new plant in a glass of water. Two new branches will grow out from the broken place.

Hostas and ferns are mostly green with occasional mild color. They thrive in the shade. They do their jobs in the kingdom of Nature without great flair and with no fanfare. Hostas and ferns are the consistent workers, who do their jobs as they should without waiting for a pat-on-the-back.

Great wisdom can be learned as we watch plants live as they were created to live.

1. Always do your work well. Shade cannot hide grace and excellence. (Remember the hostas and the ferns.)
2. Give something of yourself. Usually you will get back more than you give. Even if the return is not monetary, the reward for your heart will be inestimable. (Remember the coleus plant.)
3. Let your honest smile shine through in the coldest and harshest conditions. You will survive and some will take notice. (Remember the pansies and violas.)
4. Show your truest and brightest colors in the hottest and most unsavory environments. Others will be impressed by your grace under fire. (Remember the hibiscus blooms.)
5. Show love that lasts a lifetime through the seasons of blooming, fading, dormancy and blooming, again. It is rare to always be in prime form, but it shows good character to bloom and to rest in regular intervals. (Remember the rose.)

by Jay O'Toole
on March 5th, 2017