Finding life in the most unexpected places

"Lord, make us mindful of the little things that grow and blossom in these days to make the world beautiful for us."
- W.E.B. du Bois

About a month ago Matt was cleaning out the gutters and he found a flower growing in the top of the chimney. It wasn't a lovely flower by any means; enclosed in a black bud, it basically looked dead. Caleb brought it inside and placed in a flower vase with water. I humored him and kept it in the vase. Even though I thought it was ugly he thought it was special. Then, low and behold, after being in the water for about a week it started to bloom. How extraordinary and unexpected. Caleb was so excited when he saw it, declaring "I knew it would grow"! Isn't that why we are called to be more like children...to have that kind of faith- to look at the future with hopeful expectations, to find life in the seemingly dead. Maybe I am over-analyzing the situation (as I have a tendency to do), but it is amazing how a simple little yellow flower blooming in winter on my windowsill can offer encouragement.




“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful implanted in the human soul.”
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe