The Gift of Plants

I love houseplants.  In fact, I currently have five, mostly succulents.  I can spend hours just taking care of these little babies, whether I'm performing basic maintenance, or shopping for new pots or plants to add to my cramped windowsill.

Why am I talking about this?  Well, because every day, I am amazed by the wonders that God has created for us in the form of plants.  There are so many ways these beautiful creations benefit us, from food and medicine to air purification and beauty.  My plants do not provide me with any food or medicine, but just seeing them makes me feel so happy, and I swear the air in my office space is fresher every day.  Supposedly, working with plants helps you to reduce stress levels, too, and I certainly have been calmer ever since setting up my tiny menagerie.  When things are getting stressful, I just take a 15 minute break to water my plants, pick off any dead leaves, and make sure everything is good.

Our Father created all these things for us to enjoy.  What a blessing to have so much opportunity for beauty in our lives.  Here's the thing: the devil likes to keep us busy so that we don't have time to enjoy these gifts.  If we're always running around like crazy, stressing out over little things, causing a ruckus, we don't have time to appreciate the gifts God has given us.  Spending fifteen minutes a day with my plants is a small way of taking that time back for myself and for God.

My challenge for you is to take the time to find a plant to love.  You don't have to buy one if you don't think you can take care of it (although, it is easy to find a plant for almost every living situation).  If you're not interested in a plant of your own, take the time to admire the beauty outdoors, whether it's a tree or a bush or a patch of flowers.  Don't let the devil keep you distracted.  Find the beauty in God's creation.  He made it with you in mind.

I'm Back!

First, I'd like to say sorry for my long hiatus.  I was blocked out of my account, because Google thought someone had tried to hack me--with my own password.  That someone was me.  Trying to access my account from a different computer than normal.  *Groan*

Anyways, after months of trying to get back into the account, struggling with requests that I give up my phone number (which eliminates my anonymous nature on this blog, etc.), I finally managed to get back in.  So, thank you for your patience.

Second, I would like to wish a Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there, from my own earthly father, my godfather, grandfathers, and uncles, as well as my adopted spiritual father, St. Joseph, and of course, our Father in Heaven.  I would also like to extend these well-wishes to all fathers outside of my family, and especially to those who are struggling in Purgatory.

A lot has happened since we last were in contact.  I have gotten my dream job, revisited an old passion for plants (I hope to write about this at a later date), and today, while in line to receive Holy Eucharist, discovered that our parish's new seminarian is incredibly cute, which of course could be a whole issue in and of itself.

Ah...it's good to be back!