OK, so true confessions time. I started talking to my house plants. I have had a terrible track record with them and I so consistently kill them, slowly over time, that I actually had a line item in our monthly budget for replacing dead and dying house plants. They were basically a disposable purchase on a bi-annual basis.
So, a couple of years ago I decided to take matters in my own hands and investigate a new approach. The cheapest, easiest change I could make was to try talking to these poor, terminal members of the plant kingdom. Every day after my husband left for work (because I didn’t want him to think I was crazy) I would walk around the house and try to say something meaningful to each plant…Hey, how ya doin? …Looking good, dude!…Keep up the good work…Please don’t die on me! Well, I had to get some new material. It just wasn’t working. So I actually gave each plant a name, mostly based on appearance or condition. (Occasionally, based on a person. ) Now, I could talk to them specifically. And, no kidding, all but one of them did phenomenally well (by my previous standards). I went from 4-5 straggly, sad, frequently replaced plants to 15 beautiful, healthy plants in 3 to 4 months. It was a miracle! I have never had a green thumb. I prayed over them, thanked them for adding beauty and oxygen to our home and encouraged them to grow to the best of their ability. I know it all sounds crazy, but I am telling you it worked.
Anyway, I was just looking out my window, noticing all the green in nature, from the trees in the woods, to my husband’s gardens, my patio tomatoes, our herb garden, and all my houseplants – and the beauty of God’s creation just struck my heart in such a way! It’s like, wow, there is so much natural beauty to enjoy and it is so easy to overlook and just get used to. We take for granted so many of God’s gifts. And the dazzling array of plant life is definitely one of them. So as I was praying and thanking God for it all, a sort of raw poem or tumble of words came to me, and then a childhood memory. Here they are…
All the greenery in nature is so life-affirming…
The plants, the leaves, the grass, the trees. The herbs and weeds.
The delicate, the variegated, the fuzzy, the smooth… With ridges on edges, the waxy, the new; delicate, soft, tender young shoots.
The nibbled, the damaged, the dusty, dry roots
the rain soaked and streaked, the growing, the striving,
the withering, the dying.
Enormous leaves and tiny, the pokey, the piney.
Velvet and sharp, the pale and the dark.
The plump succulents, the wispy plants living seemingly on air,
The beauty unending, the variety mind-boggling.
The life of a tree, or a plant on dry ground, or in the sea.
Greenery, shade, oxygen, flowers, fruit, or medicine,
Bee’s bounty or beauty,
Just for our delight.
Getting personal now. When I was a teenager and knew absolutely everything, I really wanted nothing to do with faith or God or church or any of it. An eye roll was my go-to response, or else ‘Yeah, well, what about science?’ It all seemed so unbelievably silly to me.
I remember quite clearly one day when my Dad, a gentle man, pretty quiet about his faith, said to me during one of these discussions, “How can you not believe in God?” He said it pleadingly, searching for the right words, “I mean, look at a tree…” his voice trailed off, as he could not really express what he was trying to convey to me. I rolled my eyes hard and looked at him as only a self righteous teenager can, like it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. I truly couldn’t believe someone could believe in God just because of a dumb tree.
Well, many years later, I know now what he meant. What he was trying to say, but couldn’t express. I feel exactly the same way. Everything in nature points to God. This brings to mind the lyrics of a well-known Catholic hymn… The heavens are telling the glory of God and all creation is shouting for joy.. (check out the video hereThe Canticle of the Sun)
And I do have to say, I am pretty ashamed of myself when I think of the way I treated my Dad. I know I was just a teenager, but I can’t wait til I see him again someday and tell him how sorry I am, and how much I understand now what he was saying. And how so very much I agree with him.
God is in every good and beautiful thing, man-made and nature borne.
Lord; In the heavens and on the Earth, the beauty of your creation astounds. Thank you for showing me all the goodness and beauty of nature that I never bothered to notice.
Some wonderful verses on nature, if you’d like to check them out:
Psalm 19:1-4 Isaiah 35:1-2
Psalm 24:1-2 Isaiah 42:5
Psalm 96:11-12 Isaiah 55:12
Psalm 104:14-21
Sherry, thank you for sharing your personal story about your Dad. It was so touching…and so true, right? The wisdom of age (we can say so now, right? LOL).
I think I’ll try your strategy. My plants could use a little support:) Hey, if a nice or kind word works for plants, I wonder if they can work for people:)
You know, the Good Books have lovely notions to share about reflecting on nature. Here are some from the Holy Koran:
8 – Surat Qaf: “And the Earth, We spread it out, and cast therein firmly set mountains and We have made to grow therein of all beautiful kinds; to give sight and as a reminder to every servant who turns to Allah.” [50:7-8]
9 – Surat Al-Raad: “And it is He who spread the Earth and made in it firm mountains and rivers, and of all fruits, he has made in it two kinds; He makes the night cover the day; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.” [13:3]
God speaks (shouts?) to us all. We are blessed if we can listen or hear:) Thank you for sharing and have a blessed day!
Mary, thank you for your comment and for sharing the lovely reflections on nature. God is good!