Budbreak

Bishop Epps spoke of times when we cannot see progress or growth, but it is occurring all the same. He illustrated the point with seeds that germinate and develop roots underground before we can see the new green plant break through the soil. I had a book once about brokenness--this morning, I looked everywhere, even in the boxes that were never unpacked after the last move 18 years ago (my nomadic inbreeding)! Like so many things, I probably won't find it today.

If memory serves me well enough, the principle in the book is that brokenness is a necessary part of growth. As a former student of horticulture, I understand that seeds have to break dormancy before they germinate into seedlings. This process varies between species--many break due to temperature; some by fire.

We also studied bud break, which for commercial fruit trees is a trigger for pest management schedules. Prior to bud break, unless you know some of the other botanical features of a plant, it can be challenging to identify a plant before the flowers and leaves flush out.

The illustration carries through the life cycle of plants: seeds break dormancy, seedlings break the soil line, and flowers and leaves break out of tightly held buds.

The point of the illustration: don't despair if you cannot see progress.

I have a pass-a-long plant that originated from my paternal great grandmother. It had a bad year a few years ago, and I thought it was going down for the last time. My father passed away, which made the thought of loosing the heirloom plant sting a bit more. I refused to throw it away. A pot of dirt sat in my laundry room for months. I thought it was dead more than once during the winter months, but it eventually perked back up in late Spring. Imagine the thrill of seeing minuscule leaves poke their heads through the soil the week after my father passed.

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring." ~Bernard Williams

[Carolyn Fjeran, LowTide reflective writer with a colloquial twist; former writer for Cooperative Extension Service, Master Gardeners, and The Newnan Times-Herald]