Lessons from a Honeysuckle Bush

You have seen flowers from our garden, but today I want to share a mess I am working with.

We once had a beautiful 10 year old Honeysuckle hedge until our neighbor decided to spray his weeds on his side, and you guessed it... it totally killed the hedge.  Now this is not a story about being mad at the neighbor... he just was not thinking. 

I started attacking the dead parts last year after we figured out it was totally gone.  And we figured out some runners had rooted a small distance from the fence.

I made it this far during the summer and fall of last year, and as you can see, our new growth is growing... Yeah!

As I have been whacking away a this, it has reminded me of the messes we sometimes get ourselves in.  How we can have something big and beautiful, and one thoughtless act can change everything. 

 We have a strong friendship, and one thoughtless statement that hurts one, and the friendships dies.

 We have a beautiful marriage, and put everything else in front of it, and the marriage grows cold.

We have beautiful children, but do not parent them as well as we can, and the bond between us fades.

What is left from this is a lot of cleaning up... alot of work to get things back to the way it was.  Weather it be from plants or relationships....

I have been reminded to never take things for granted. 

To work hard on all my relationships, be it friend, spouse, or child, they all need nurturing.  Watered with love.

So, as I clean this up, I intend to work even harder on all the above, and never take anything for granted.

Each day, each relationship, is a gift from God! For which I am so very thankful!

Whacking away, and bringing in new growth.

Ma and Pa