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New Growth

6/18/2019

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Picture
One of the things I like about early summer is seeing the way evergreen trees show their bright green new growth. We have had copious rain here and everywhere you go the evergreens are showing lush new needles on the tips of their branches. It is a good year for growing things.

If only people could show their new growth in some tangible way like the evergreen trees. I believe I would look for those interesting people with the bright new green growth showing on their fingertips. They would be the lifelong learners. The book readers. The crafts people and artists. The growers and healers. Dreamers and writers, explorers across timelines: I would choose them for my companions. I would be able to eliminate with a glance the closed minded and unbending. The “my way or the highway” sorts. The people content to do life the same way never looking for new ideas, viewpoints or taking a chance. They would have no new green needles on their fingertips.

But it’s not that easy. The visible growth signs in people are just not as obvious as bright new green needles. At times I may glimpse a telltale twinkle in the eye or a lift in the footstep. But the most likely time to find growing people is when I strive to grow myself. At the edges and crossroads of my days. When I myself am changing. When I am both daring and being my most true self. That’s when I find green needles popping out. And I can say it’s a good year for growing things.
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What the Potato Knew

6/14/2019

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I decided to make mashed potatoes for supper the other day. Something I have done many times. From the famous garlic mashed potatoes for family parties to the much smaller amount I now make since the kids have grown up and left the house, I am no stranger to peeling, mashing and whipping. Making them is a mundane, unexciting chore. As I reached into the bag to pull out several spuds, I was surprised to find the one in the picture above. 

There it was in my hand. A potato in the perfect shape of a heart! I had to stop for a minute and consider what this meant. Making mashed potatoes should be ordinary. Boring. Uninspired. But there it was smooth and grown into that perfect shape for me to see at just this moment. And the first thing that came into my head was the quote “Do small things with great love” (Mother Theresa). So many times the daily routine may not seem important. Especially for us older women as families grow up, kids move on and our roles change. When there are not as many faces around the table cooking can be a bit less inspiring. 

But I believe the potato knew that is not true at all. Whether you are feeding 1 or 20, the simple act of seeing to the well being of yourself and others with love remains one of the most important tasks of each day. So I set that heart shaped potato on the window ledge because I could not bear to peel it that day. It remained there for awhile, a simple reminder of the importance of small things. And I made a batch of simple mashed potatoes with great love.

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