Personal Gardening

This is a challenging season in more ways than one.  The weather, the dryness, the cold and now the warmer than anticipated weather in February.  In the midst of these challenges, I have certainly learned a few things that I KNEW, but had not had the opportunity to receive  and use yet. 

All of us have had challenging moments in our day to day activities. However, each if us deals with    challenge in different ways.   I chose to just be quiet, stay calm and even though I was quite hurt and shocked, I had to rise above it, be professional and simply carry on.  Today I received wise words that I needed to hear TODAY.  I was in the fabric store and started chatting with the clerk and the customer behind me chirped in.  We were three women, three different generations sharing a little bit about our journey and realizing just how Blessed we were....in spite of it all.  The anonymous customer behind me continued conversing with me as we walked outside and her words were what I needed TODAY.  These were the words she shared, "IT IS NOT THE LOAD YOU ARE CARRYING, BUT HOW YOU CARRY THE LOAD."  It just rang through me and this was truly what I needed to hear TODAY.  In conversing with this woman, who I later learned was known as as Mrs. Aldridge, I was also reminded that it will get better by and by (yes we have all heard this before) and that sometimes it just pays to be quiet.  The answer will always come by and by. 

Listen to your surroundings.  Recognize the signals that you emit.  Think about how your words and actions will be perceived and received.  Understand that it will get better by and by.  Today the fabric store was my garden.  Mrs. Aldridge was planted in that fabric store tonight.  Although I did not get the clerk's name, she too was a part of the garden....she recognized me and said I was always pleasant, looked at peace and smiling when I came in to shop.

Just like a personal garden if you are filled with weeds and undesirable species of plant material people will notice.  If you are filled with kindness, genuine goodness, if you emit positive vibes, if you think before you act, if you do the right thing, your personal garden will bloom, grow and people will notice.  Make time to cultivate your garden, speak to people, smile, pause to share the journey and enhance YOU as a personal garden.  How does your garden grow??????