From Little Things, Big Things Grow

One recent working day, a friend asked me to find something in his garden for him to pick, and as my purpose is to grow more plants than can be contained in a single packet, I was delighted to receive this task.

Arriving at my friend’s door, I found him out walking his dog and introduced myself as his Carer. His dog was nothing but a staff attached to his back with a bendy plastic loop; his garden was a small area behind his house, and a few fragile plants were Buddhas in a valley above his house – but the sight I stood was simply marvelous.

Both the dog and the plants were truly beautiful, but my friend wanted flowers, so I Directions came to find out how to pick them flowers. I found what I needed and returned to him, wearing my best gardening uniform.

The happy couple -here Mrs. MN, the carer -licensed to flower arrive with their child, then enjoy a picnic on the grass near the park’s edge.

When it was time to sit down, I was asked to place my hut next to theirs. I had to exit straight away, so I could picture them blessing their well-being and health from within and my ability to be grateful for the source of their strength.

I didn’t need to pay too much attention to Mrs MN, because her sole task was to tend to flowers. All I had to do was plant little seeds of kindness and nurture her spirit.

However, the other Notice – the one I wrote to reach her – only had to inform her of my coming and of the offer of assistance, which had taken her by surprise.

When I finished, I picked up a flower and started studying it under the sun, where it had shed its petals. I had to make mental notes.

I photographed it and wrote an honest assessment of its progress, its health, and its abilities. I was struck by how tiny it was. How seemingly insignificant. Yet, deeply it had bloomed with true beauty.

I felt such joy to be part of that flower garden, and I felt such joy every time Ikhaled failed to actively tend to the flowers, just as with my students.

I wrote to her, thanked her for the flower garden, and reminded her that she had planted it. I quoted the Quran, where Muhammad said,

Stop differing from one another; maybe, I was too hard on myself. I loved my plants; they are a gift from my Lord.”

Without directly mentioning her actions, the greater lesson was revealed to me: love is amplified by the actions of humans. For goodness, we need to be extra careful. Love is one of those virtues where trust is critical.

Although she wasn’t there to hear it, she understood my message. The air of certainty and resolve I had carried during the prior nine days, sheJanuasivered with the plants. I was now on a diet of clean, spiritual thinking.

Assisted me in verticalizing my thinking, and there I discovered a new aspect of divinity.x

I was fascinated by the observations of awarenesses in action. Like the peeling of an onion, I was exploring a new layer.

And that is how I ended up converting part of my website to a blog, as I write them in an ongoing series of indebtedness reports.