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I envisioned ahead
when we first planted our shrubberies, flowers and climbing vines.
The results turned out differently than I planned!
I thought I had it
all worked out so everything would evolve and take care of itself.
That forethought turned out to be only wishes.
Wisteria vines,
growing up and over arbors and trellises, after several years, have
not seemly got the message "Enough is enough!" My husband again had
to climb the ladder trimming invasive fingers trying to devour our
home.
Another vine, like
a kidnapper lays in wait to seize and hold hostage its captives. I
must be careful not to go near or I, too, will become its victim!
The hedge row,
behind our house, would grow reaching the power lines, aiming for
the heavens, if it were not for the trimming it gets during the fall
and summer months.
English Ivy has
grown up and formed a fountain at our lamp post in the front yard.
There were other plantings at its base that have died out now from
the aggressiveness of the ivy.
The honeysuckle on
the back fence row, too, requires cutting back and eliminating the
dead growth of the previous year.
It would take over
if we allowed it.
Shrubs, in the
front and back yard, require trimming several times during the
summer season as their tentacles sprout out beyond the mother
growth.
The rose hedge
next to the drive way, too, must be trimmed back at least once
during the year or it would block the view of the road as we back
out of our drive.
I have learned all
living things require care from birth unto death. All things that
provide beauty must be cared for.
I was afraid Bill
had found the yard to become more than he wanted to maintain. But,
when spring arrives every year, he purchases additional plantings.
He has also added stones and rocks to add to the beauty.
There is, also,
the ever faithful fountain grass that continues to sprout and
provide its flumes every year.
One of my
favorites the maiden grass dutifully lines the side of our property
each season, as it reappears with its rapid growth. But it, too,
must be cut down once a year to eliminate its straw like seasonal
shedding.
There is always
work required to provide the enjoyment we receive from nature. But
all things of beauty must first be planted, fussed over and hard
work applied, in order to cultivate a harvest to be proud of. Then a
master piece, a living thing to be in awe of, will be the reward for
ones toil.
Nature like
mankind requires love, care and effort to yield something of
splendor.
From one spring
until the next, we enjoy the sights and sounds that abound in our
yard. Various flowers pop their head up every spring, teasing us for
what is to come.
Then summer brings
other faithful flowering beauties, along with the hostas plants with
their large green leaves and sprouting blooms; they have their own
kind of attractiveness.
The luscious
shades of green in hedges, bushes, trees and grasses, are the
assurances of life that I relish.
Wintertime, too,
brings with it its own special beauty.
Like a big screen
television, my windows provide me glimpses of its rare programming.
The earth's blanket of white and animals scurrying about, searching
for food, teach me of God's beauty and provisions.
Tree branches
clothed in white billowy cotton sleeves are the things poets write
of, and homes adorned with fringes of delicate icicles provide
picture-perfect postcards.
Above and beyond
the sights my eyes behold in natures beauty, there are the sounds my
ears enjoy throughout the seasons:
birds sing their
tunes, katydids and locus serenade me, rains play melodies, the
thunder swells with crescendos, the rustle of leaves whisper softly,
the wind's whistle plays its tune, and the soft fall of snow
whispers its coziness.
Though there is
never-ending work that must be done to keep and perfect a yard, the
rewards of its beauty are boundless.
Our lawn and
flower-gardens may not be the most beautiful in town, but I do so
appreciate my husband's endeavors.
So, yes, the
ethics of hard labor have their rewards.
Life, itself,
presents principles, philosophies and codes of ethics. Yes, if we
adhere to our beliefs, applying hard work to diligently prefect the
beauty within, others will be aware of the beauty we emit.
There may be weeds
that try to crowd out the beauty, and sounds that invade, attempting
to drown out the joyous melodies. We, though, must take the time to
determine what gifts in life are most important, and savor each
moment, giving back our own special gift of beauty.
Life is a
continuous progress of hard work and rewards, a planting and
reaping.
Bulbs and cuttings
produce flowers of beauty.
Fields plowed,
planted and harvested produce grain and food to consume.
Raise up a child
in the way he should go and he will not depart from it.
Live a quiet life
full of examples and other people will see your wisdom.
Hard work will
produce a life full of bounty.
Good deeds and
righteous living will be rewarded.
Work and prosper,
plant and eat, give and take, life and death, visions and
accomplishments are indeed the balances of life.
2006 Betty King
Email Betty at
baking2@charter.net
Visit her website
at
www.bettyking.net
Betty King is an
author, freelance writer, a Life Style and Devotional newspaper
columnist and a frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup for the
Soul book series and other anthology books.
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