Here at the end of July, I thought it would be fun to share with you how my Advent Seed Calendar is doing. Christmas in July!
Among the wonderful seeds in my Advent Seed Calendar, there were Zinna seeds.
Oh joy! I’ve never grown Zinnias before. I can’t wait to see what they look like!
There were lots of seeds in the little Zinnia seed packet … so I sowed seeds in a nice big pot, and also in a smaller pot.
I’m going to have lots and lots of Zinnias!
But alas … the birds wound up feasting on the seeds I had sown. The birds ate all of the Zinnia seeds in the big pot. And the few Zinnias which did sprout, the birds gobbled up those tender green sprouts too!
But … two little Zinnia sprouts survived in the smaller pot. Thank you God for two little survivors!
With hopeful anticipation I watched every day as the two little surviving Zinnias started to stretch and grow.
But the spring rains were a bit too much for them. The heaviness of the rain kept causing the little Zinnia stems to droop and flop over.
A little “fork support” is what is needed!
With some “fork support” the Zinnias gained strength to be able to stand up straight on their own.
Over the summer they have grown into a beautiful bushy plant about 3′ tall and are now loaded with blooms! The survivor on the left turned out to be a pink Zinnia. And the survivor on the right turned out to be a red Zinnia.
Just check it out! Isn’t it beautiful! I’m particularly captivated by the little yellow star-highlights! Isn’t that a cool feature. I had no idea this is what Zinnias looked like.
Oh whoa … the little yellow star-highlights are becoming a ring around the center! That’s cool!
Oh wow! The little yellow star-highlights have gone from just a few highlights … to a ring around the center … to a dominant band of yellow. They are now a central focal feature of the bloom. I wonder if the little yellow stars are going to eventually fill in the entire center? I guess I’ll have to wait and keep watching …
As I ponder how the Zinnia blooms are changing as they age, I’m struck with how this same thing happens to each of us as we likewise age. We start out young and youthful, looking like the Zinnia bloom with little yellow star-highlights sprinkled here and there.
Then as we age, we mature … we change. We are still the same person, but at the same time we aren’t exactly the same as we used to be. (just like the little yellow star-highlights turning from simple highlights here and there into a ring of stars around the center)
We continue to age … we continue to change as we mature. Who I am today is similar to who I was in my 20’s. But at the same time, I am a radically different person from who I was in my 20’s. I have changed. Yet all the while, I’m still the same me. This is like the Zinnia bloom where the little yellow star-highlights changed from random highlights into a ring of stars … then from a ring of stars into a dominant band of yellow. This right here is what happens to each of us as we age. We change … gradually … slowly, over time. Yet all the while, we are the same person we’ve always been.
The blooms with the yellow star-highlights are not necessarily prettier or better than the blooms with the ring of stars. And the blooms with the dominant band of yellow aren’t necessarily prettier or better than the blooms with only a few star-highlights here and there. They are just different, that’s all.
So also, our young and youthful phase of life isn’t necessarily better than the middle phase of life. It’s just different is all. They are both equally beautiful in their own special way. And likewise, the later phase of life isn’t necessarily better or less-than the other phases. It’s just different. It’s equally beautiful and special in its own way. Every stage of life is uniquely beautiful and special!
What a fascinating thing to ponder as I enjoy watching my Zinnia blooms.
Thank you God for the gift of Zinnias!
Thank you God for Christmas in July!
“I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken.” – Psalm 37:25
God is always faithful … through every stage of life. God is always faithful!
