Last night Mother Nature’s paint brushes created a sumptuous sunset pageant in shades of hot pink and purple. She brushed a watercolor wildfire across the horizon that ran down the street in my neighborhood and exploded behind my neighbor’s house in a profusion of hot pink. I’ve never seen such a glorious painting. Mother Nature painted streaks of yellow through the hot pink and colored the high clouds a light purple. The sun rolled down the horizon as a ball of fire as the wildfire of sunset peaked then slowly faded away. The twilight was in awe of the sunset and slowly cast her shadows of night across the neighborhood. The fireflies had watched the sunset and still entranced were slow to perform their light ballet. Father Sky hung the luminious moon and the twinkling stars, all talking of the wondrous painting of sunset. The day ended gloriously and the night began silently.

Spent this morning watering the flowers and vegetables and filling up bird feeders and bird baths. I put new pine straw around the vegetables growing in my big pots to try and keep the moisture in the pots. My cucumbers are really suffering so I hope the straw will keep them from wilting in the heat. I ate my bagel and fruit while Penelope acted the role of a starving homeless pet begging for some of my breakfast. She had already eaten a can of chicken and a bacon dog treat. She deserved an Emmy award for her performance.

I moved my canteloupe yesterday from its home near the oak tree into my old wheelbarrow. I raised cantaloupes in the wheelbarrow last year and the morning I went to pick the first one off the vine some critter had eaten half of it. This cantaloupe plant wasn’t thriving where I had planted it and after just one day in the damp soil of the old wheelbarrow the plant is green and worshipping the sun with its leaves held high, thankful it can feel the warmth of the morning sun.

Moving the cantaloupe to another garden spot made me think of the phrase “bloom where you are planted.” This quote from Saint Francis de Sales inspires me. I think the garden where I am in my life right now is full of blooms. I’m happy and content and I feel I’m right where I should be. I’m satisfied with my life and enjoy the blooms of happiness that often come my way. God has blessed me and I’m grateful for his blessings.

Sometimes we find if hard to grow where we’re planted. We struggle trying to find the right place to put down our roots and just can’t find the nutrients to make our life grow. I think we have to make a conscientious effort to try and thrive where we are. If we can learn to turn the negative into a positive and learn to control our thoughts of life not being like we want it to be right now we can begin to bloom and reach for the sun. God wants us to learn to embrace our current situation and accept life as it is. We deepen our roots with God through daily prayer and worship.

Despite our circumstances, God wants us to prosper and grow in faith. We need to take advantage of opportunities God provides in our lives and be grateful. God wants us to bloom where we’re planted and be content to trust his plan for the future. There will always be road blocks on our paths and we’ll have trying times of sorrow. But God will always be with us. He gives us the grace to bloom and grow no matter where life plants us. God is the master gardener. He will nurture you wherever you are planted.

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” — Disney’s Mulan