When we got home that afternoon, MSH found a Styrofoam cup, punched a small hole in the bottom, and placed the pod in the cup, with dirt from our garden. He then put the cup into a coffee mug and set it in a corner of our kitchen. He thought it should be a dark-ish corner. We gave it water every few days—and began our quest to see growth.
At the beginning of this New Year, we moved the cup to our kitchen island. At this location, it’d get some filtered light. We waited. Nothing happened. In the middle of January, I moved it to my utility room window. Here it would get the late afternoon sun. Not too much, as we have an arbor on our back patio that prevents the hot, hot sunlight from getting to the back of our casa. We waited.
Three weeks ago, as I took the cup down from the windowsill to give it some water, I prayed this prayer:
Dear God Almighty,
We could use a sign of optimism. Hope. We could use an event that would restore our faith in small miracles. And I would love for my Nana Leighton to signal me she’s here—with me. That she knows my struggles and will help me to be strong. PLEASE let this pod/acorn grow in this cup. PLEASE.
In Your Son Jesus’ Name, I pray.
Amen.
On January 30th, I was taking a load of laundry out of the washer and putting it in the dryer when I realized the cup might need a bit of water. MSH had talked about the fact that our experiment was, more than likely, not going to work. As I picked the cup up, my heart SOARED with complete and utter JOY. There was a sprout! A precious, sweet, teeny, tiny sprout!
I went running into the kitchen to show MSH. He beamed from ear to ear! I then told him about my prayer. We almost cried.
Here are two more pictures of our future tree. The third I took late this morning. Now we’re not exactly sure what to do! We have decided we’ll give this little “Hope” tree to Little Leighton and Baby Elle. To plant in their backyard. Since it is from their “home” town.
I challenge each of Y’all to plan an experiment in the next few weeks! Attempt to grow something marvelous. Or see if you can encourage someone without them knowing who is behind the gesture. Have faith. Ask for God’s help. BELIEVE.
I pray Y’all have a FANTASTIC week, wherever in the World you are…
ta-ta for now…
p.s.: My Nana Leighton was a very gifted Gardener. She loved to grow things and sincerely possessed a “Green Thumb.” Pansies were her most favourite flower. She also had several African violets she was nurturing at all times. Then there’s her granddaughter—moi. My thumb? Hmmm. It’s kind of pale green. I never cared about gardening until I hit my 40s. I have some specialties I can grow—I guess. Periwinkles. Begonias. Ivy. Caladiums. I cannot, for the life of me, grow a petunia. No how/no way. Because I’ve lost money—over the years—when I try out new flowers, I’ve become unadventurous in my plantings. Also, the EVIL armadillos we have here in
