“Bloom where you’re planted.”

this is a quote i obtained from the "best cell blog" in raymond's post which was inspired by one of the PDL daily devotionals. there's a story behind it for me. read on...

last december, we were at lifesprings for our retreat. on the second day, in the morning, i remember melt and i scrambling for mass (as usual since it was so early!!) and on the way to the chapel, i caught sight of a little bench facing a fence, through which there was a beautiful and refreshing view of the hill and the sky. i made a mental note in that rush that no matter what, i was going to sit there and enjoy it at some point during the retreat. breakfast was a filling affair but i still hadn't forgotten the bench. as i walked out, i remember stopping near the koi pond, choosing which was a better bench to sit on for the few remaining minutes before the first session. there happened to be a nun standing there too.

"is that fish pregnant?" asked the nun.

"huh? is she talking to me??" said shireen in her mind.

i walked over to have a look. and she pointed out to me a fish with a bulge where its tummy should have been. i had no idea what a pregant koi looked like.

"maybe its a pot belly?" retorted shireen, for lack of a more intelligent response.

a conversation bloomed from there.

"it is so therapeutic looking at these fish, isn't it?" she said.

"hmm, but don't you think they find it boring? swimming round and round the whole day?" shireen honestly felt sorry for the fish and couldn't imagine living such a life.

"ah, you think its boring, but that's the life they know. do you think they find it boring?" something to that extent was her reply, i forget the exact words.

"well, i guess maybe not, since they really go about swimming here and there like they're doing something really important," shireen pointed out this observation.

"the fish are happy where they are. the trees are happy where they're planted. do you think the plant growing in your jamban (toilet) will say, "i want to pick myself up and plant myself somewhere else?" no, it is happy growing where it is. we should learn to just be." said the nun, animatedly. shireen laughed when she heard the word, "jamban".

in shireen's mind, there were lots of "but this...." and "but that...."s. but she decided to shut those voices up and listen to this nun. she had not heard this for the first time, "just be." but there are times in our lives when the same words sound different and singe our hearts more than at other times. maybe its the connection with the person who's saying it, maybe it's the powerful realisation that god planted us both to be where we were right there and then at that appointed time, or maybe it's the cure for a certain restlessness stirring within.

and today, as i was reading raymond's post, i saw that line, “Bloom where you’re planted.”

and i suddenly understood perfectly what that nun meant when she talked about the plant in the jamban.

dear god,

whether we are in the jambans of our life (shit happens sometimes), or on top of the world, or just in the middle, help us to bloom where we're planted. to know that through our weaknesses, your strength is made perfect. give us hearts of humility, hearts that seek to serve and not be served. plant the seeds of your kingdom in our hearts, lord, and let us allow you to nurture us with your love and grace, so that we may bloom into trees for the birds of the air to make their nests in, so that our branches will always be reaching out to you, praising and glorifying you, as we receive the sunshine of your love forevermore.

love,
shireen