Gardening Lesson

These are the flowering residents of our fire exit. From (L-R) White Angel, Pretty Minnie and Weeds (hindi kinaya ng puso ko na bunutin lang sila at itapon, nilagay ko sa isang lalagyan).

Almost a three weeks ago, I thought I was going to lose them. I failed to give them TLC (water, cultivate, conversation) for two weeks and their leaves started to turn yellow. All the flowers dried up.

Pretty Minnie's case was tougher than the rest. When I got this baby, there were two intertwined main roots. Since she's growing too fast, she no longer fit her pot. I had to "separate" the two main roots. I held her roots with my bare hands and the "mud" felt really warm. My last attempt to revive the dying plants was to put the two Pretty Minnie's in different pots.I was so scared, I thought she'd/they'd die. I was so scared to find out that I'm not meant for gardening - maybe I didn't really have the green thumb.

Days passed by and Pretty Minnie just looked like she's ready to pass on. She looked dry and... dead. Honestly, I was just waiting for all the leaves to turn yellow. I was ready.

Yesterday, I saw more than twenty flower buds on Pretty Minnie! Miracle? No. I was merely impatient.

And that's how Pretty Minnie taught me an important lesson in marriage. Just because it looks dry, dead and there are no flowers in sight doesn't mean you're losing it. Or that you're not meant for it.

TLC. Faith. Patience.

This morning, I did some cultivation. And I forced the hubby to water the babies. We shouldn't let them die. We shouldn't let IT die.

Thank you, flowering friend.