Some of my most beautiful and beloved memories as a child are of gardens. My grandfather and father are fantastic gardeners, and our family get-togethers were always adorned with lovely landscapes. Gardening is a craft requiring patience and intentionality. One must be careful of the depth and the width when digging. The quality of the soil is also key. The amount of water and sunlight varies from plant to plant. Some, like hydrangeas, require transplant during different seasons. Other plants, like orchids, need wire wrapped for support.
Then there are plants like the Lupinus Texensis, or as all of us know it -the bluebonnet. What a beauty! Growing to 6-18 inches tall, they sprout velvety light green leaves and gorgeous bluebonnets. I loved driving to school when I was a kid, for these covered the fields by Texas highways.
Bluebonnets grow like wildflowers (ha-ha). There’s something unique about the bluebonnet. Unlike the first two flowers, bluebonnets grow in the most poor, and unkempt soil. One would never guess this from the bright, proud bonnets, but it’s true. This flower’s poor soil has never deterred it from producing its lovely blossoms. Fascinating!
I believe that a small portion of people are like the bluebonnet. Having no control over the soil in which they are planted, some people grow up in soils that are poor and unkempt.
I think of children from neglectful or abusive families as Bluebonnet Children.
You see these Bluebonnet Children most Sundays. They are running when they should be walking. How did they get to our church? A parent is nowhere to be found. The aroma from their pew is potent because of a lack of baths. They sneak extra donuts because they have not eaten much since the community meal on Friday night. They offer to help you clean up after Sunday School, because scrubbing glue off of the table with you is more enjoyable than what awaits them at home.
One such kid was Kevin. He was a Bluebonnet Child who was very aggressive. Whenever he arrived at our church pre-school program, it was only a matter of seconds before he would bite or hit. After a number of failed attempts to connect with the parents, I realized that the Father was not in the picture. Furthermore, the Mother was having different men stay the night throughout the week. The energy of his home was not positive or stable. We were receiving Kevin into our programs at a very tired and unstable state.
Tune in next week for the rest of the story! Be sure to subscribe to the right. 😁
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✌Meg