Of letting go...

I plan my gardens: I plant the seeds in trays in the greenhouse, I water, I provide light and warmth and watch them sprout; I watch some grow big, some grow more slowly at first then catch up to their larger "siblings" in time.  I transplant them into the garden or flower bed, I fertilize, I mulch, I pamper...and watch some take off immediately, some just sit there at first and reach their peak when their "sibs" are fading. I learn that I can provide good soil, fertilizer, and to a certain extent correct moisture, but I cannot control the sunlight they receive or fail to receive despite my best plans, I cannot control the over-abundance or total lack of moisture mother nature provides that season, nor can I control late frosts, or early frosts and the damage they may do.  Sometimes, despite the best-laid plans, gardens go to waste for reasons beyond our control; and sometimes, despite all the adversity mother nature can throw at them, plants surpass all predictions to grow lush, fruitful, beautiful beyond our expectations.

So it is with family relationships, with raising children, with nurturing friendships: sometimes, despite our best efforts, things just don't work...and sometimes, despite our mistakes, our omissions, our failures, the children grow into magnificent human beings that do us proud, relationships thrive, and friendships flourish.    I have no doubt that it is important to strive to provide optimum environments for the growth of relationships, but sometimes, I think, it is wise to just let go of the expectation, let go of the stress of not having done what we hoped to do,  and instead to appreciate the unexpected joys, the unplanned rewards of relationships that flourish due to the efforts of others, or to the unexpected.

I have such examples in my life....do you have them in yours?