Most Saturday Morning I awake at the usual 5am: my internal
clock can’t tell the difference between weekday and weekend. I embrace the quiet time while the children
sleep: drinking coffee, writing or
watching a rerun on the laptop.
This morning is a little different. I am a restless soul. Friday was disappointing day. My 18 year old found out that his knee will
need surgery: the same that had surgery
16 months previously.
Yes there is a story.
When this child was 3, he started telling me he was going to be a
soldier. He played army, navy, marines,
anything to do with the military. He
played rough and tough. If he fell and
injured himself, all that was required was a bandage and he was out again
playing. No tears- he had work to be
done and nothing was going to get in his way.
As a young teenager he began a workout routine that would shame most
personal trainers.
Sixteen months ago he tore his meniscus. It was successfully repaired and after weeks
of physical therapy, it was perfect. I breathed
a sigh of relief. His ultimate dream
was within reach: becoming a Marine, following in his big brother’s
footsteps. The work out resumed and
increased; Recruiters buzzed and information flowed. A few weeks ago coming home from work, I
noticed him limping and grimaced. During a workout with a friend he had injured
the knee again. He tried to soothe me,
telling me it wasn’t like last time: “There
wasn’t a pop.”
Yesterday when we received the news, our question was how
does this affect his future dream? Our
armed forces can pick and choose their recruitees: they want young people in top condition,
physical and mental. What happens now? How does my garden grow?
I went outside this morning, feeling the need to tend to my
garden, yet still in my pajamas, I
grabbed a sweater, threw on a pair of flip flops and headed quietly
outside. Settling down next to my plants
to take off the yellowing leaves, I realized they needed nutrients: where did I put the fertilizer?
I headed back inside to mix up plant food. I stood mixing the potion to rescue my plants
wishing I could mix a potion to fix knees and children . Children are similar to precious plants in
your garden. You start them out as
seedlings. They require water, nutrients, support, shelter from the storm
and cold, new containers when they outgrow the old and sometimes you just need
to stare at them and wonder why. You
will even go out in your pajamas to garden when necessary.
I went back outside, fed my plants, pulled off the yellowed
leaves, dead blossoms from the petunias.
I gently loosened the soil around the tomatoes, hoping they would absorb
more of the plant food. My garden will
need a little extra care. The growing
season is going to be longer.
Peace.
NEPB
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