Surviving the storms of life

 

    I found an old bucket in the woods and planted a mum in it. Over the years, the roots of this plant have been buried under snow, frozen in subzero temperatures, covered with ice and pummelled with rain. Yet, every spring, I see bits of green peeking through the soil, and it grows and thrives. 

    Last year it was leggy and about four-feet tall but still pretty and loaded with yellow blooms. This year, my beloved gave it some attention by pinching it back, and it is more beautiful than ever. 

    This flower is resilient; it perseveres; it survives every storm, no matter how severe, and comes out smelling like a mum. I want to be like this flower. I want to survive the storms, and after they pass over, bloom again. I am not quite there yet, but maybe I will be, someday.

Social media isn't social: A Goodreads experience gone bad

I thought it might be fun to poke around on Goodreads where I could see reviews of potential good reads, and if the notion strikes, I could even share my thoughts about particular authors and their works. It seemed like a great idea, so I created a Goodreads account.

A few days later, I signed in, or attempted to, and received the following unfriendly message:

Think fast!

     In the parking lot of Michael's yesterday, a young girl carrying a book approached me. I stopped to hear what she had to say. Smiling real big, she said she'd like to invite me to church Sunday. I responded by telling her I'd be attending my own church on Sunday. She asked me which one, and I told her. I asked which church she belonged to, and she pulled back her lapel to show a badge with the words, Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which indicated our beliefs differ. We exchanged a few more niceties and then went our separate ways.