It is always such a beautiful thing to witness… new growth in nature, as in the sight of new buds blooming on a plant such as this lovely hydrangea, sending its lovely flower into the world for us all to enjoy and appreciate! And, of course, we must never forget the role of the flower in benefitting the bees, butterflies, and other insects. The presence and growth of flowers on this earth benefits the environment as well as other living creatures.

There is the beauty of new growth in human life as well. It goes without saying that most of us love to witness the beauty of the sight of a newborn baby. Within days, we can see changes in this baby, growing so quickly. And through the weeks and months and years of this baby’s life, we can watch the amazing beauty of the growth of human life as this baby moves through the baby years, the toddler years, the childhood years, adolescence and into adulthood. It is an amazing process! Yet, growth doesn’t need to end when we reach adulthood. In our human lives, within each of us, no matter how young or old, there is always the promise of new growth. Whether it is in new understanding, new learning, new “giving of ourselves” to a cause or belief, a new challenge, a new pursuit or new interest, or perhaps a fresh new use of some part of ourselves that laid dormant for awhile… Growth is always possible. Its possibility and promise are beautiful. It doesn’t have to show itself to others. It can be quiet…nourishing our innermost spirit, creating new understanding, new joy or peace of mind… while making us stronger and more beautiful. Or it can be used in an expressive form that reaches out to others.

As long as we’re alive we can keep on growing – and blooming. Sometimes it takes some thought, sometimes it may require us to move out of our comfort zone a bit. It can be a big challenge. It can take some courage. It may require us to add a little bit of fertilizer to that old pot where our roots have been sitting for awhile, and stir things up a bit… But in the end, the glory of it all is well worth the effort. And we never know – by growing and allowing ourselves to bloom again, we may just be able to help someone else, we may perhaps be of use in some new way. We may possibly find some new joy and purpose in our lives!

~ Carole Carter – words and photograph