Bloom Where You’re Planted
Last night, some of the Operation Shower team, along with other very fun women, met for our first Happiness Project meeting. It was so much fun and, I have to say it, it made me very happy. One of the things I value most is listening to other people and hearing their stories and the things they are dealing with in their lives. Although I am at heart very introverted and shy, I love to be around other people — especially in the kind of setting we had last night. A private room in a restaurant (at no extra cost) with good food and conversation. I always learn something on these type of evenings, and last night was no exception.
One of the women discussed how she loves her home and has done lots of work to it recently, but has avoided inviting people over because it’s not necessarily in the “best” neighborhood. She loves her home and loves entertaining, but just wasn’t doing it. So, one of her resolutions this year was to “bloom where you’re planted” — to love where she is and share it with others and not wish she was somewhere else.
We all loved this, and although we had heard it before, the quote “bloom where you’re planted” seemed to resonate with all of us and we wrote it down for ourselves. It was a great reminder to all of us that although our circumstances might not seem ideal at times, we should make the most of where we are at this time in our life and experience the full joy of where we are currently “planted.”
In what seemed a kind of “fate” working that night, when I told my son I was going to a meeting about the Happiness Project, he asked if he could make something for me to show the group. I said “sure” and a few minutes later he handed me the picture above, a smiling flower. He said “I think this should be your logo for your group.” How right he was. And it will be.
As I think about “blooming where you’re planted” I think about all the military families and how many families try to do just this. As they move from military base to military base or wait at home during deployments, they do their best to make each place a special home for their families. It is our goal, as Operation Shower, to help these families bloom where they are planted — to celebrate the life they have – especially when a newborn is coming soon.
(here’s a post of a favorite shower we did, which actually goes with this idea – boxes in bloom!)