Let’s talk about girlfriends shall we. When I survey the plot of land holding all my
friendships I am amazed at the color and flavor bursting forth. This bed is nothing short of miraculous. I even have a few evergreens in there. Trees
that were planted long ago and have withstood the test of time and the trials
of life grace my garden. I have some
hot peppers in there along with some sturdy marigolds that keep the bugs
away. There’s sweet smelling lavender,
rosemary that comes back year after year even after I don’t tend to it like I
know I should. Rosemary is incredibly
faithful. It’s hardy and wise. I love that rosemary. I have several other herbs that help spice up
my life too. There are caladiums that
come back year after year. I forget
about those sometimes until they show back up.
It is only then that I realize how much I missed them the season
before. There are beds of hearty
eggplants that just grow with seemingly no effort. They feed me.
They feed my heart. My garden is
also comprised of beautiful annuals. The
bloom but once and live only for a season but while they are a part of my life
I cherish them.
My garden of friendships is enviable. I do not always give it the respect and time
it needs. I often take for granted that the
fruit, flowers, and leaves will be there and disregard certain areas. To those plants, please forgive me.
My mom always said there was life after high
school. THANK GOD! My soul sisters didn’t come into my life
until then. They were worth the wait. Let’s start with Colleen.
Colleen is my rosemary. She is fragrant and sweet. She is an evergreen. She is hardy. She grows in almost any conditions. She is steady and flavors my life. Colleen should have given up on me long
ago. But she didn’t. She is a fighter. She holds friendships sacred. I have learned so much from her. Our days at Young Harris College are years
away, but she is always consistent, always loving and always striving to be
more and more. She doesn’t give up. I love her for that. She is also a palm tree. She goes with the storm. She fights.
She survives. She is brave and
sweet at the same time.
Joy, I don’t know that I can ascribe a singular plant
to her. She is my oak tree and my
pursalane. She is my oak in that she is
elegant in her poise, firmly rooted within herself. She knows who she is. She is solid.
I stand and look at her when I am questioning life and know she will
have answers. If she doesn’t , not
matter. She provides me with shade and
coziness all the same. She is my
precious white purslane too. She thrives
in hot conditions, flowers every morning, and doesn’t require much
maintenance. She surprises me
though. She blooms pink within the white
sometimes. It is unexpected and
delightful. Joy planted herself in my
garden and refused to go away.
Valerie my precious Valerie, she too cannot be
summed up in one plant. She is my
caladium: Big and bold and with beautiful green leaves reaching to the
sun. She goes away but she always comes
back. That is in her nature. She is a stargazer lily too. When she blooms her smell is so sweet. It is the first thing you notice when you
walk into the room. I stand and look at
her and see what I want to be. She comes
back year after year in spite of the storm.
She is resilient.
Meagan is my rosebush and my scotch bonnet pepper. She is my rosebush because her fragrance
fills my heart. She is colorful. She is undeniable. She is cautious and her thorns serve as
protection for the beautiful flower that she is. I often wonder if she knows what a treasure
she is. She is a scotch bonnet in that
she flavors my life. She spices things
up. Meagan has the ability to bring life
into the room. She loosens me up. She reminds me that without a little
adventure life is no fun. She is sweet
and spicy. I love this combination. She is a force to be reckoned with. I love what she adds to my table.
Kristen is my marigold and my eggplant. She is entirely colorful though I doubt she
recognizes that in herself. She is a
marigold because she helps keep the bugs at bay. She is consistent. She grows cautiously but when in bloom it is
something radiant to behold. She is an
eggplant in that she helps nourish me.
She grows under the cover of big leaves but when she blooms she cannot
be mistaken. She comes inside with me
and helps feed my soul.
Kim is a part of my new growth. She has firmly planted herself in my garden
and although I have not been the best at tending her soil she continues to
bloom. Kim is like an herb garden. She
is like my lavender. Her blooms are
beautiful but it takes a while to figure out the right soil composition. Once she takes root, she cannot be denied
however. Like lavender, I have found her
to be a comfort in the midst of daily living.
She is one of my most favorite herbs.
Much like other herbs as well, she teaches me that growth takes
time.
And then there is my mom.
My mom cannot be contained. She cannot be defined by one plant or
another. She has a plot all her own in
my heart. As a teenager, I wanted to
prune her back and push her away. As an
adult she is every plant I could ever dream of.
She is the brilliant purple of an impatient. She is sturdy like an oak tree. She is fragrant like jasmine. She is luscious like ground cover. She fills me up. She feeds my spirit. She is always there. Her bed is just outside my heart and I always
go to her to find solace.
And Christy.
Christy is like a colorful annual.
I’ve known her for years now and every time she pops up I am so
excited. She blooms bright. She is constant. I love the color my life has with her in it.
As you can see, my garden of friendship is complex
and fruitful. As tend to this plot, I do
not always take care of my plants the way I should. I hide sometimes and neglect my foliage. Sometimes I do not water and all too often I do
not feed my plants the way I should. I
am working on that though. I have
recognized that each plant is unique to itself and what works for one does not
necessarily work for another. However,
each contributes so very much to my life and I am grateful for all that they
are and all that they will be.
I have other
flowers in my beds to be sure. Ann is my
thyme. She is firmly rooted and who
knows when she’ll pop up but when she does it’s pretty great. Heather is like a butterfly to me. She flutters in and I can do nothing but sit
and admire her quiet strength. Gina,
she’s like a bell pepper. She is ripe
with life. Sarah is my cherry
tomato. She is strong and sturdy and
bright. Dana is like my lemon verbena. She is all wild and willy but it smells so
sweet. She encourages me to step out and
try to live my dreams. Pam is like my
mint. She leaves traces of herself
wherever she goes. She is sweet and made
of more strength than she gives herself credit for. All of these women and many more comprise my
garden. My prayer is that you have a
luscious garden of friendships that feeds you and you, in turn, feed as
well. I lived such a long portion of my
life thinking I needed no one. I was
wrong. I do need. I am not ashamed of that.
Throughout the seasons of my life I have been
honored and blessed beyond measure to do life with the most amazing women. I hold my watering pail high in salute to
you.
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