Water The Flowers, Not The Weeds

Water the Flowers

Last week, my wife, Janet, and I were walking through our garden. In an excited voice, Janet called me to view the beautiful roses. As I noticed the fullness of their delicate petals and the vivid colors of oranges, pinks, and reds, my heart began to open. Tears filled my eyes when I realized, how many times I have walked past them never really noticing nor paying attention to their beauty.

As we both stood there together in silence, taking in the beauty, we realized the inter connectedness of all living creatures. The combination of the air, sunlight, soil, and our careful tending are responsible for their growth. Nothing exists alone. We are all part each other. Learning to water the flowers and not the weeds, empowers us to live in our fullness from moment to moment. We focus on the positive aspects of learning and growing, rather than the negativity.

While continuing our walk, we reflected upon our “family” at the White Rock YMCA. Jermaine and Jocelyn Bouyer came to mind. We blessed their two precious children, Jaxon and Janae and honored their growth as they blossomed with loving support, encouragement, and prayers from so many people. Their lives represent the miracle of life.

At this time, when many of us have experienced losses, fear, uncertainty, and grief, we are challenged to dig deep into our own soil of our souls and feel loving kindness for others, as well as, ourselves. Adversity can bring out the best and the worst during these troubled times. We each have the choice to reach out and contribute to others who are in need. The gift is to both the giver and the receiver.

At the end of our walk, I thought of my team who shared so many loving emails to each other during this unknown journey. I also thought of the tremendous leadership of Stacie Renfro and her remarks to me. She said, “Richard, this (YMCA) is a cause driven leadership organization whose mission is to contribute to all. All of us, the YMCA staff, contribute to a cause greater than ourselves.”

Remember, friendship and teamwork double our joy and divide our grief. As we were leaving the garden, I looked back and the roses caught my eye. I thought of the words of a popular song, “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone…all obstacles are out of my way”. Keep your mind, body, and hearts growing and glowing. We will get through this together.

 

Richard Fine

White Rock YMCA Member

Authored by: sbenson