The Gift of Growth

My husband has a knack for finding beautiful things.... he caught this one early one morning....  

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of Growing

“Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it.”

L.M. Montgomery

*For those who just started reading my little musings...  I wrote this last year.  I have really struggled becoming an empty nester.  These little writings were a way to help deal with the changing role of being "Mommy" and now, "Mom."  I truly marvel when I open each writing because they speak to my heart in such a wonderful way.  It is as if God knew that when I wrote, and wrote... and wrote... and wrote... I would need them at another time.  It is my hope that you,, dear reader will find some hope as well. 

Growth can be painful. 

Growth can be brutal.

Growing requires self assessment.

You cannot grow when you are comfortable. 

Growth requires change and change is difficult. 

But growth is necessary for both you and me.

So that we can become better versions of ourselves for all to see. 

Embrace the truth, the change, the betterment.

Growth edifies both the spirit and the soul.

So push for growth, make a goal.

Plant the seeds of growth, water them with prayer.

Watch them grow into a beautiful flower and then start to share with others the work, the joy that growth brings when you become a better version of yourself and spread the seeds of encouragement, edification and growth that is needed for all humanity. 

What happens when you stay in the same mindset for a period of time?  Stagnation.  Humans were not meant to just be.  Humans were meant to grow, to change, to learn from life circumstances over time.  If you don’t embrace growth what will happen? In the words of John Maxwell: “Change is inevitable.  Growth is optional.”  Plants go through many stages to grow: seed to sprout, then vegetative, budding, flowering, then ripening.  Also, fertilization, water, and sunlight are also pivotal in the growth and survival of plants.  To take it a step further, I would add the stages of leaves on trees.  The leaves go in cycles.  The cycles are dictated by seasons.  The leaf is born, develops, reaches its maturity as a leaf, then it dies.  Does this description not embody change and growth?  Think about the colors of the leaves as they grow.  In the spring the buds are a fresh and beautiful green.  As the tree leaves continue to grow, the leaves become a much more dark and mature green.  In the fall, before the big change, the leaves become a fiery red, a gorgeous orange, and a sunny yellow.  After that, the leaves fall and start the process all over again.  Life is much like the cycle of plants and leaves.  If we are not watered, fertilized, given proper sun and care, we wither and eventually die whether that be emotionally, mentally, spiritually, or physically.  How are you watering your mind? How are you feeding your soul?  Let us feed each other a diet of edification.  Not a diet of excess nutrients that in time will cause us to stagnate.  I am reminded of an old Chinese proverb that I read.  “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid of only standing still.”  So dear readers, grow!  Read a new book, take a walk and greet a stranger, adopt an attitude of gratitude, and send a care package to a soldier.  Meditate.  There are so many ways to grow.  Let us go forth with a purpose and determination to make this world a better place each day.  

Source: Saferbrand.com, growing flowers.  sfguide.com