Something Will Grow From all you are Going Through... and it will be You.

Something will grow from all you are going through...

and it will be you. 

When it comes to unique experiences, the spiritual ones can be the unique-est.  A few months ago, I participated in a Blessing of the Flowers, at my mother's Universalist Unitarian Church.  Each congregation member brought with them a cut flower.  The flowers were all placed in vases and casually arranged at the front of the room, while the Pastor gave the blessing: 

"These flowers don't need our blessing to be wonderful; they already are.

They don't need our blessing to be strong; they already have that strength,

deep within them, growing every day.

What they need is a place to grow;

They need some care, whether by human hands

or by the warm sun and blowing breeze and the toil of the bees.

They need to be a part of something.

All they need to do is follow the fullness of life

and grow into their true beauty."

You can see where I'm going here, and why I was instantly inspired by the blessing of the flowers. We are the flowers:

"All we need to do is follow the fullness of life

and grow into our own beauty."

We are the flowers:

We come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes

Some of us grow in bunches

Some of us grow alone

Some of us are cupped inward

And some of us spread ourselves out wide

Some of us are old and dried, and tougher than we appear

Some of us are still in bud

Some of us grow low to the ground

And some of us stretch toward the sun

Some of us feel like weeds, sometimes

Some of us carry seeds, sometimes

Some of us smell

And all of us are beautiful

We are the flowers.  Sometimes we will have to push through difficult circumstances - not through our own doing - in order to bloom, and some of us will simply bloom through being planted in perfect conditions.  Regardless, we will bloom where we are planted, and all the conditions of our nurturing will determine how we bloom - our strength, our determination, our tenderness or toughness, our need for space, the emotions that we exude, our prickly-ness...  And when we are all gathered together for a common purpose, our own beauty will serve to enhance the beauty of others, and we will form a spectacular bouquet.  

And, remember what the flowers do when things get too bad - when the cold, snow and wind become too much to withstand...they don't die... they lie dormant;  they bury themselves in safety and security until conditions improve and they can push through again.  Remember that, and remember that we are the flowers.