A Small Patch of Joy

  


   The small patch of flowers that we were creating in the backyard and at our school garden was on the back burner all summer.  We  had decided to create a large planting area with retaining wall over 70 feet in length in our backyard. Therefore, the focus was about creating the flowerbed, not on planting or growing it. At school, with lots of rain all spring and lots of teacher discontent, the school garden became more of a problem than a source of joy. We focused on mulching and and keeping back the weeds rather than planting or growing the garden. Our produce was very limited.
     The patch of flowers metaphor that I was using for my blog and the gardens was becoming a fading vision of the past.  I wondered if I even still liked gardening.  Okay, I knew I liked flowers, but I wondered about the process. It just was not that much fun.  I never even thought of my blog during the summer, because I was not thinking about planting joy. ( I admit that my blog writing was waning even before the summer.)
     The planting of joy that I so much valued was not happening in either of my realms.  I found some fun with the challenge I made to myself of moving out of my comfort zone.   I was enjoying challenging myself, but I did not seem to be planting joy. I had a few good times, but planting joy:  I did not seem to be doing that.
      The school year started.  The new administrator did not want us to take the children to the garden, because it would take them away from our academic growth.  (I did not agree with that philosophy.)  Thankfully, the sunflowers were strong and beautiful regardless of what the vegetables were doing.
       Last week in mid-October, a fellow teacher confided in me that her very demanding, critical parents were coming for a visit.  They were not pleased or complimentary about any of her successes, which were many. She was a nervous wreck about the visit.
       I bought three bouquets of roses the day before her parents visit.  I gave her two of them and told her to put them in conspicuous places in her home and when she saw them think of how she was respected and loved by many other people in her family and at work.  She seemed to be appreciative.  I felt that I was planting joy.
       The second bouquet was for the teachers whose students I work with in my resource room. I had each student write a thank you letter to their other teachers and when the letter was complete, the student selected a rose and gave it to his/her teacher with the letter.That was the student was able to give the joy to the teacher.   There was some near-tears of joy that day and some very happy students who had the opportunity to give a teacher some joy. Each teacher told me more or less the same thing,  "I needed that."
       It is an overwhelming experience to be reminded of how much joy a "small patch of flowers" can bring even if it is in the form of a bouquet or a single rose.