Each of us faces so much in our daily lives which  seems to overwhelm  us and be more than we can deal with  at times. We need to remember at those times that the happy and trouble free days  will return.  Just as the blossoms which fill your garden return once the sun shines and warms the earth sufficiently to wake them from their slumber as spring arrives each year,  the sun will also again shine on you and those 
you love. 

 I have always loved my gardens but that appreciation has increased tenfold in recent years. I cannot express the happiness I feel when I see my husband, with the stress lines created by the constant pain with which he lives eased, as he basks in the warmth and ambience of the garden and shows such pleasure as his many fish in the pond rush to greet him, knowing that if he has arrived so has their food. He does so enjoy our garden! All the hours of work in order to assure the plants  will be healthy and bountiful is repaid a thousand fold when I see his face as he sits quietly relaxing and  communing with nature.

We are so very fortunate. We really do reap what we sow. If one is prepared to make the effort to seek out the positives in life we will find them regardless of the magnitude of the problems we may face. So many times when adversity does enter our lives  the  tendency is to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and to forget that this too shall pass. It may take time, it may take enormous effort on your part, but it will pass. The sun will shine again and we need to remember that  the rain makes the flowers even more beautiful than before.

The pleasure I derive from our gardens is equal to that of my husband's of course. But I don't  live with the pain he endures and therefore like most  at times tend to take nature  for granted. I sometimes forget the magical restorative spirit of a garden and of nature. Perhaps we must personally experience  the hurricane to  truly appreciate the calm which follows. It isn't easy being the bystander as the one you love suffers and you can do nothing  but be there and love them. Knowing the garden brings him tranquility and even joy makes every single moment spent preparing the canvas for the landscape which nature paints so beautifully wonderfully worthwhile.

To be frank I have  times when I  feel all the usual emotions. We have had so little time for us. And so much pain. I have questioned the fairness. I have felt sorry for  both of us that when the time has come when we should be enjoying each day to the fullest, we face illness and stress so much of the time. I am no saint after all. I am human too and although an eternal optimist I do have my down times. But always, without fail, when I walk in my garden  I know how very lucky I am. And I again give thanks for the smile on my husband's face  as I see him enjoying being outdoors with the gardens, the fish pond, his squirrels and his birds. Watching those tiny creatures grow to trust him more each day is such a joy. Yes indeed, life is good and we are very much blessed.

 This man who never complains,  and who has infinite patience with his less than perfect wife is such a good man ! How I wish I could turn back time to those days so many , many years ago  when I allowed  this treasure to get away from me ! But then as I write that  I remember the  dear ones with whom we shared so many of those years and know everything in life happens as it should. As youngsters we went our own ways and we both had full and happy lives.  Even the years we spent alone  following  the loss of our mates were not unhappy for the most part. Neither of us every expected the amazing good fortune of  spending these years together . For us, life has come full circle. The Gift of Beauty which is our time together  is bountiful and the multitude of  blossoms  truly magnificent.  No garden is ever without weeds after all, why should we expect ours to be any different ?

Life with all it's heart aches and worries is much like  a garden. The weeds, the insects, and the plant diseases which threaten the health of the plants  are much like the many problems we all encounter in this journey through life. The fragile plant  with a poor root system may succumb to the hazards  it encounters on it's way to full blown maturity but the plant with a firm stem and sturdy well established roots will, with a minimum amount of assistance from you, survive to  bloom anew  and proliferate, perhaps with even more radiance, for many years to come. 

Any of us who have had the great good fortune to have been given a sturdy foundation from which to build our lives can, and will survive almost anything intact.  Yes, perhaps bearing a few scars but nevertheless we will not be afraid to face life and it's challenges with optimism and a positive expectation of sunshine and happy days yet to be ours,  even when the dark clouds seem  to be everywhere. Those clouds always  move on  in time and as they do the sun will reappear once more, it's radiance seemingly even more brilliant for having been sequestered  for a time.

Life is so much  like a garden. It takes work to make it blossom. And whether we realize it or not happiness is a choice that requires effort at times. Make the effort ... you may even be surprised at  the Gift of Beauty you will receive as your reward for having taken my advice.