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Thursday, September 2, 2010

The little things in life

Welcome friends, old and new alike to my blog. I’m glad you stopped by. I am so pleased to be a featured “inspirational” blogger on Mama Hen’s Nestwork. Grab something to drink and a snack and get comfy. I’d like to share a little story with you.

First of all, let me say that for years and years I’ve learned to appreciate the little things in life (being on an extremely tight budget will do that for you). Actually, that may have all started when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras. Living in a “room” built with mud and straw bricks and a dirt floor without indoor plumbing has a way of making one humble. As crazy as it sounds, I absolutely loved it. One of the locals really explained to me just how less is more. She told me, “The more you have; the more you have to worry about what you have.” That point has really stuck with me. Anyway, the point of all of that was to say that I consider myself a simple woman, and it doesn’t take much to please me. I think once my husband figured that out after the first few dates, he dropped to one knee on the spot and asked me to marry him! Just kidding; let me get on with the story.
Tidal Wave Silver Hedge Petunia
camera doesn't do this justice!

For the past couple of years for Mother’s Day I’ve given my kids a couple of bucks a piece and asked them to choose flowers from the local hardware store to plant in my flowerpots in the backyard. Voila-Happy Mother’s Day to me! I do not have anyone’s green thumb, but I figure even I can manage to transfer an already grown and blooming flower from the 4-inch pot it’s sold in into a larger pot with some dirt with relative success. I love the thoughtfulness that goes into my kids’ choices, and they have a good time handling the money and mixing and matching the varieties and colors of flowers. Last year, they selected an absolutely beautiful variety of petunia called a Tidal Wave Silver hedge petunia. It was the palest shade of lavender with deeper purple veins because purple is my favorite color. I planted it in a small pot all by itself. It was just that beautiful! The little plant really showed off and bloomed and bloomed through the summer.
See how much it grew?!
When the weather turned cooler and the plant quit blooming and dried up, I pulled up the brown stem and abandoned the barren looking terracotta pot on the patio in the backyard where it sat through winter’s wind, rain, sleet and snow. Yes, snow! You see, I live in North Texas so we really don’t see much snow, but this year did we ever see snow—like 12 inches in 24 hours. I know that’s not much to you northerners, but just to put things in perspective, schools and businesses close around here when there’s a threat of 2 or 3 inches of snow, so 12 inches in one day was a HUGE deal for us.
that's the little pot with a mound of snow on top!
When the kids and I went out to play in the snow, I noticed first of all that my little pot looked like a giant snow cone.  Secondly, after all of the snow had melted, I also observed that the pot was cracked in two. Oh well, I thought, I’ll deal with that in the spring. Then winter gave way to spring, and the days were filled with blue skies and warmer weather once again. From time to time I’d go past the little pot in the backyard and think I should do something with that before someone bumps it and gets hurt or makes a mess. Still, I left it.  Then one day I noticed a little green shoot sticking up. It looked similar to the leaves on the petunias my kids bought me for Mother’s Day this year, so I let it be to see what would happen. Sure enough my Wave petunias were back as beautiful as ever-cracked pot and all.

As I reflected on this phenomenon, I considered all that little seed had been through: too much water; not enough water; too much cold, not enough sunlight. Even its home had given way to the freezing temperatures; yet still it survived. Isn’t life just like that, friends? We deal with all sorts of adversities, but they are balanced with good times and sunshine. The best part is, just as God protected that tiny little seed buried in the dirt because it still had work to do and its beauty to share, He is with us on our journeys, too. Whatever you may be going through, He is with you. Psalm 62: 8 says we have but to: “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope I didn’t keep you too long. You’re welcome to come back anytime! Until next time…

This is the gift that kept on giving this summer

46 comments:

  1. What a lovely, lovely post. I'm so happy I clicked over here from the Nestwork, Eastlyn.

    For many reasons.

    Firstly because I love what your friend in Honduras said to you. She is so right. Worry is such a huge waste of creativity.

    Secondly because I love your idea for mother's day for your young children. Planting gorgeous (hardy!!!) flowers is a lovely way to celebrate another year of growth in motherhood. I may just have to steal this one.

    And thirdly, even though I am not a believer, your thoughts on your own faith are very inspirational and I thank you for sharing them.

    I'll look forward to visiting you again many times.

    x

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  2. oh e, what a beautiful story! yet another tear from me today :) im glad you didnt tell me this story over the phone yesterday, i liked reading it here. thanks for sharing. i love you!

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  3. Eastlyn, thank you for being the featured blogger in the Nest! You are a bloggy friend and I am happy that I have gotten to know you through your beautiful blog and your kind comments. Your idea for Mother's Day is super. It really has so many cherished memories that you are creating and you are also teaching your children so much through this planing and watching the growth, as well as what happens as the weather changes. You are an amazing mother and loving person and I am so happy you are being featured in the Nestwork! Have a great day!

    Mama Hen

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  4. What a neat idea and a Mother's Day gift that keeps on giving. I like the saying you learned while in the Peace Corp "the more you have the more you have to worry about what you have" - how true! Congrats again on being featured.

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  5. love the pictures of your flowers, so pretty!

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  6. What a wonderful and inspiring story! Thank you for that!

    Katie
    http://3wittlebirds.blogspot.com

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  7. Eastlyn, this was a lovely post. I love the depth of your thoughts - from what you shared about being in the Peace Corps to the petunia flowers.

    What your friend said to you is so true and I remember having a similar thought years ago. Oh, it was, "The bigger your house, the more you have to clean."

    The petunia gift from your kids is beautiful. Great idea for a Mother's day gift! And on top of that it taught them how to handle money, decision-making and being thoughtful at the same time.

    Lastly, your reflection on what that seed had been through inspired me deeply. I love how you said, "God protected that tiny little seed buried in the dirt because it still had work to do and its beauty to share." We all go through adversities and yet are blessed like this little seed to still have work to do and beauty to share. Thank you for sharing this, and congratulations on being featured!

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  8. Eastlyn, Congratulations on being a featured blogger! You are so deserving of this! I think I started admiring you back when I learned that you volunteered for the Peace Corps--this was early on. Then, as I started learning more and more about you, including you love for family, your inspiration, your thoughtfulness and loyalty to friends...well, I just think you're such a wonderful soul. I love this idea about having your children choose and plant flowers for you on Mother's Day. I want to adopt this tradition too! Yes, the story of the seeds...God's love is always there for us...even when we think it lies dormant...Beautiful!

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  9. Hello Eastylyn, Congrats on being the inspirational blogger on Mama's Little Nestwork...What a lovely post. Your spirit is beautiful. So nice to get to meet you, stop by and visit me at Healthy Living And A Balanced You-(Empowering Momspriation) www.aliciahunter.net.

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  10. Eastlyn, congratulations on being featured! i too have and been learning to appreciate the little things in life!! Thanks for this truly inspiring and encouraging post.
    Blessings,
    Ruth

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  11. Wow, what a beautifully written post. Thank-you so much for sharing. I'm so glad I found your blog through the nestwork and I'm happy to follow you. Looking forward to reading your posts in the future. Congratulations on your feature!

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  12. What an amazing picture of God's love! I love that you guide your children to the perfect Mother's Day gift. What a great idea!

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  13. I love your post! No matter what kind of weather we face, GOd can bring us through the storms! :) What a fantastic reminder! congrats on your feature. I'm your newest follower fro the nest!

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  14. Good morning! We're now following you from over at Mama's Little Nestwork, congrats on being featured!! Love your blog, and hope to visit often : )

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  15. First of all, Congrats you definitely deserve it! You inspire me with all your posts and comments!I also love how you let your kids know what you'd need for Mother's Day. I do that to them and my husband all the time! lol!

    Thanks for visiting my Guest Blog over at Scary Mommy! You rock!

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  16. Truly deserving inspiration blogger you are! I'm so proud and inspired by you, my friend. Although you characterize yourself as a simple woman, you are definitely not simple minded. This was a very thoughtful, well written post, with a very poignant message. I believe it will inspire all of us to "be the seed," weather the storms, and persevere in life. Afterall, we are all growing in God's garden, aren't we? I hope you & your family enjoy the weekend.

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  17. Yes, I see why you were selected. This story was wonderfully inspirational.

    I'm now following and look forward to more visits.

    Have a great week-end.
    (PS. and thanks for the tip. I love silver and petunias. I'll look for this variety next year.)

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  18. What a lovely post,the trailing petunia certainly did well.
    I am here today from Italy via The Nestwork Congratulations on being featured.

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  19. Congratulations on being the featured blogger!

    Love your story about the petunias - they are beautiful. I'm trusting that this ole crack pot still has beauty to share and meaningful work to do!

    Thanks for the inspiration you share everyday on your blog.

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  20. What a beautiful story and reflection! And the petunia is gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing! =)

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  21. Congratulations on being featured! I'm here from the Nestwork. I thoroughly enjoyed this post... so many things we can learn from the simple things in life. I'm your newest follower! Keep up the God-work! :D

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  22. Yay Eastlyn! I am SO happy you were featured!!! So exciting! You leave the best and most insightful comments on my blog posts and I always look forward to reading what YOU write. This was a beautiful post and I'm so happy you shared it! Have a wonderful weekend Soaking It all UP!

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  23. Just joined the Nestwork tonight and I am so glad I did because it brought me to you! Love this story and I cannot wait to read more :)

    Have a lovely weekend :)

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  24. You are such a neat lady. Thank you for your warm comment! Have a wonderful weekend!!
    Big Fat Mama

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  25. That's so cute. And hurrah for the resiliant seed - two presents for the price of one :)

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  26. I am so lucky to know you. I don't say that lightly. What a fantastic story E - thanks for sharing. I'm so glad that we have found this wonderful way to connect our lives and our families, it helps me to not be SO homesick. You are very right "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Thank you for the reminder.

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  27. Oh, what a wonderful story! It's amazing what can grow out of adversity isn't it? I wrote a post this week about pursing our kids wholeness over happiness - you know, knowing that is we shelter them from all difficulties in life, we're not really equipping them to succeed. So this is something that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Though my little boy is only just a baby still, I think as a mother God wants to begin even now to solidify some of this stuff in my heart. And that woman you met: “The more you have; the more you have to worry about what you have.” What wisdom she has!

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  28. Perfect for me to read this morning!
    I think many mothers need to remember there is always good somewhere around them.
    I will be staying a little longer to look around. :)

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  29. Following you from Mamas Little Nestwork.

    What a wonderful post!

    You truly are inspirational. Its so true the simple things in life are the best! God will bless you and your family abundantly. Keep up the good work!

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  30. I'm really glad I found you through "Nestwork"! What a great post... Very inspirational! Thanks so much! ~ Take Care

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  31. What a beautiful story and analogy. God truly is faithful to bless and keep us. Thank you so much for sharing.

    I am finding more and more that less truly is more. I hope that I can always remember that.

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  32. I'm so glad you were featured on the Nestwork so I could come visit you here. I love your blog- beautiful! I'll be back for a visit!.

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  33. Hey Eastlyn, I hope your weekend was a lot of fun and that the homecoming game was super! Thank you again for being the featured blogger this week. Have a fun day! Come meet Little Chick. I figured out how to add a video. She is so cute! I know I am mommy, but she is just my little cutie! :)

    Mama Hen

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  34. I am new to your blog! I love your mother's day idea, mainly because I do NOT have a green thumb. Looking forward to reading!

    Sara
    www.8aplenty.blogspot.com

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  35. I love that idea about planting flowers! I'll have to do that in the future!

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  36. This was a great post! Congrats on being featured! You are so right, life is full of adversity, but there is always hope that the sun will come back out and we will be just like that little seed and thrive again! I hope you have a wonderful week! I am finally back home and looking forward to getting back to our normal routine!

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  37. That's amazing your petunia survived! Such a neat mother's day tradition - I'm sure your kids treasure that too!

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  38. Eastlyn, I definitely think you should do a before and after of your house clean up project. It would probably inspire others to do the same and I think it would give you such motivation to have it be a part of your blog.

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  39. Me again, just popping in to let you know that I am loving your comments. Every now and then you make contact with a blogger that you just know you are going to enjoy getting to know. x

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  40. This was a wonderful way to end my day! I was about to close the computer, when I decided to read just ONE more blog. So glad I found yours. Your positivity is inspiring.

    Congratulations on being featured - well deserved!

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  41. Thanks for stopping by Eastlyn. You so right that couples need to focus on themselves as well as the kiddos.

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  42. I stopped over from the nest today... what a lovely post! Blessings on your day!

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  43. I love your post! Such a great and inspirational story.

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  44. Another inspiring story I read about you Eastlyn. Keep it coming to inspire us.

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  45. Visiting from the Nestwork! I'm glad you were discovered. Congrats to obtaining your nursing degree. Welcome to one of the greatest and most challenging jobs in the world, next to motherhood, of course.

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  46. I am so glad that you were chosen or I might not have ever found your blog, and I would be missing out on your wonderful writing. I loved the comment I read about the fairy stealing your babies and leaving two teenagers. I have one 15 year old son and I look at his baby pictures and think he grew that much, what happened? Great site, great post, love the flower idea for mothers day. Please keep posting and making us smile.

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