May | 2022 | Living In The Sweet Spot

I love this time of year. Spring. Renewal. An awakening after the sleep of winter. It is like opening presents each day to see what new growth and new blossoms are coming. “How many peony blossoms will I have this year? Will those new irises bloom?” I love the discoveries.

It is such a hopeful time of year. Thoughts of planning for the future and anticipation of the harvest to come fill my thoughts. And it is a lot of work.

This spring is also an end and a beginning. Our fourth child will soon walk out of high school for the last time. He will begin the plowing of his own path soon. It is incredible to me how truly fleeting these years seem to be as milestones come. I am learning so much about variety as they do.

When we were first starting our family, I imagined the future. I could see the harvest of raising our children, what I thought it should and would look like. I had grand plans, as I’m sure most parents do. Just like my garden, I had a vision of what I thought our family would be. And we worked for it.

Like raising a garden, there have been surprises along the way. Some happy, like the volunteer tomato plants that actually do better than the starters from the nursery. Some not so, like the discovery of strangle weed – a vampire-like plant. Who knew that was even a thing?! There have also been mistakes, like not checking the slope of the row so irrigation can run the full length or not keeping up on weeding. So many life lessons.

While some of the harvesting has not been as I envisioned, it has still been good. I still see great purpose and opportunities for happiness and continued growth. I see great variety in what that looks like for each of our children. And that is okay.

I was introduced to this jewel of a quote by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It comes from an address he gave to employees of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, talking about the vast variety of students from around the world who participate in the program. “We love them for what they are and cultivate them from there. Not everyone is going to be a rose, nor should be, so do not try to make them a rose…allow them to blossom in their own soil.”

That is how God works with all of us, isn’t it? He sees our incredible, eternal potential. He knows where to find the best sun and nutrients and the right amount of water. Yet He encourages and allows us to decide where to grow. And He helps us adjust when we recognize we want better.

I love the reminder of that this time of year. I am grateful for new beginnings. For renewals. And I look forward to the harvests.

My husband and I enjoy going on a walk most mornings after the kids have gone to school, before both of us start our workday. I enjoy the time we have to talk and just be outdoors together.

Yesterday morning as we returned, I received a text message that made me chuckle a little. In essence, our dear friend expressed how wonderful it is to see us walk together because we are so in sync, swinging our arms in rhythm as we walk.

My first thought was, “In sync?! Oh if only you knew!” I thought of just one of the ways we haven’t seen eye to eye. Then I thought about what she was seeing – the outward expression of the real effort we made each day to walk in sync. It doesn’t just happen.

You see, we like to hold hands while we walk. However, this causes a bit of an awkward gait if you attempt to walk at a good clip and your legs and arms are not moving in the right cadence. Our inside legs must come forward at the same time – mirror image movements. This allows us to swing our clasped hands in unison. Otherwise our arms are stuck in a forced stable position, which feels odd when the other arm swings in time to the steps.

As I thought more about the observation shared by our friend, I remembered the many times we have had to readjust as we have rounded corners or walked on or off curbs. Even sometimes when my shorter legs don’t keep up with his longer strides.

It has been comical in moments when both of us realize we are off and try to make adjustments at the same time, only succeeding in keeping the off-timed walk instead of fixing it. We have learned to try and anticipate changes, or we take turns making the adjustments.

After my amusement regarding the text, I was struck with the thought of how much that is like our interactions with those around us. What would happen if we tried to walk a little more in sync with each other?

It is no secret that the world is becoming more contentious. How can we more peacefully walk with one another throughout the journey of life? Perhaps we can be more willing to try to walk in sync. That doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything. My steps don’t have to exactly match yours. But we can navigate around the corners and ups and downs as we respect each other’s steps. Look out for each other. Our differences can even help us get farther as we are linked together. There will be times we get out of sync, maybe even let go as we navigate around an obstacle in our path. But we can come together again. It is worth the effort.

Living In The Sweet Spot

Sharing the Good

Month: May 2022

Variety of the Harvest

Walking in Sync