Going Green

April 15th, 2010 |

Although I confess that I do enjoy cold weather, this year the icy fingers of winter held on so long and tightly that even I was ready to say goodbye to those cold gray skies.  Is it just me, or does it seem like everything is a little greener this spring? Aren’t the birds a little chirpier and doesn’t that sky look particularly blue?  The fact is whether the winter is mild or harsh, spring is always a welcome sight.  As usual, we have been in our yard watching the season blossom and adding some new plants to the orchestration.  It is indeed a symphony.  We’ve been concerned that due to this winter’s frigid temperatures, some of our more sensitive plants might not have survived.  One plant in particular that we have been worried about is a papyrus that typically flourishes in our water garden.   Mr. McCarty gave it to us a long time ago.  Now that name might not mean much to you unless you’re a lover of pottery. If you are, you’ve probably heard of it or maybe even own some McCarty Pottery.  Years ago Kathy and I went to his studio in Marigold, MS.  We were looking around and to our bewilderment, he offered to give us a tour of his gardens.  The reason for this is another story – and a good one, I might add.  But the fact is, the man got up from his wheel and took us on a personal tour.  Now you must understand this is no small time operation.  These are big time potters who get big time prices for their work.  The place was packed that day, but we ended up spending a few minutes with the man himself.  He gave us a rather exotic piece of his papyrus and that’s why we were so concerned that it wasn’t coming back this year.  Everyday we would check it, but all we saw were the remnants of last year’s dead foliage.  We had about given up.  We left town for a few days and to our delight, we returned to find a new green shoot on what otherwise looked like a dead plant.  You may have recently experienced “a cold hard winter” that has nothing to do with the weather.  It may have blown across your life due to relationship difficulties, finances that have come up short, or maybe even a health issue that has changed everything.   Like our “McCarty papyrus”, you may think all hope is gone.  However, let that green shoot stand as a reminder not to give up.  The Lord is still on the throne and He excels in taking what seems hopeless and restoring hope.

Going green,
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