Perennial

Perennial. I don’t know much about flowers and plants. But I do know that is the word I look for when it comes to buying them.

Less work. Less money. That makes sense to me. Dig the hole one time and plant the flower. Aside from those practical aspects, there is something fascinating to me about the magic of their reemergence year after year. 

Spring comes and green stems make their way through the dirt and the brown leaves that winter left behind. As the weather warms, the flower beds that had been empty begin to fill with the same kind of buds and flowers that were with us previously.

It’s become part of my evening routine to walk outside after the dinner dishes are put away to check on the happenings of my little perennials. And this year, the magic has happened again. I noticed them in mid-Spring. Green shoots popping up in their assigned spots. Stalks and stems stretching through last season’s mulch readying themselves for another round of beauty.

As those beautiful green plants have grown, I’ve watched and waited for the plants to bloom and flower. Apriland May passed. I’ve raked dead leaves away and pulled what I hoped were weeds. June has now arrived and the anticipation continues. When are the flowers going to show up?

Reminds me of some of my prayers. You know the kind that you pray over and over earnestly. The ones that climb up from the deepest places of the heart. They are the tender ones that bring tears to the eyes.  But they are also the ones that often bring the waiting. The longing to be answered. The pruning. The moving away of the old, dead, useless parts of ourselves in order to make way for the new beautiful life. 

 

“Will You please show me a little fruit?” I find myself asking God in these seasons.  Oftentimes these pleas come as I put away the nightly leftovers and wipe down the kitchen counters. All before heading out to check on the perennial’s progress. He answers both literally and spiritually. New leaves appear and nudges of hope are given. The growth and prayers continue while waiting on the flowers to bloom and answers to come.

 

“Denise, come here,” my husband whispered one Monday as he walked in the door. It was the day after Easter and I could tell by the tone of his voice that he had something interesting to show me. We tiptoed down the back steps and he pulled away the branches and leaves of a bush to show me a lump of what was three very tiny and very new kittens. They lay huddled on each other with mama cat close by. We had no idea that she had been expecting and were completely surprised by their arrival. 

And so we added stopping by this bush and peering in on our daily comings and goings. Another element of watching and waiting in this season. Surely it wouldn’t be long before they would be playfully romping in the grass.

 

 

But a few weeks later, they were no longer under the shelter of the green leaves. They were nowhere to be found.

Thorough inspections of the barn and out building turned up empty.  We searched and speculated. We kept looking. We kept waiting. And then we began listing the possibilities of what happened to them. Maybe the weather. Maybe another animal. Maybe mama cat didn’t tend to them. Maybe sometimes in the waiting and searching, we just don’t get the answer we want to.

And so it often goes with those seemingly unanswered prayers. Maybe He doesn’t hear me. Maybe I’m not worthy. Maybe the answer will never come.

Life went on and the dishes were washed each night and I no longer looked for the kitties on my way to the front yard to see if the blooms had appeared. 

Six weeks passed and the perennial’s leaves got fuller and the stems grew longer. And then they reemerged. Not the blooms. Not the flowers just yet. But the kittens. 

 

Three adorable kittens. Two orange ones and a black one with feet adorning what looked like perfect white socks. 

 

What a surprise! Long after the expectation and waiting for them had waned, here they were. Full of life and promise.

And here we are. Maybe a dish towel in hand, drying the pots and pans readying them for the next day.

Asking God to hear our prayers.. To please send us an answer for our heart’s cries. Or at least a bit of hope while we hope for the flowers to bloom or His plan to be revealed. We wait and we pray because we know He is faithful. And we know that His ways and timing are best.

He will answer. Maybe not as quickly as we want. Maybe not in the way we desire. But He will in His perrenial love. With maybe a delightful surprise…or three…along the way.