Last week a friend unexpectedly gave me a beautiful potted flower.  I don’t know what kind of flower it is because beyond roses and sunflowers I don’t know much about flowers.  But, the blooms were vibrant and it brightened my day.  Such a simple gesture, yet it meant so much to me.   I set it by my front door and then left it to fend for itself.  It did great for a few days.  Then it slowly shriveled away.

On Wednesday she was over my house and after she left I noticed the shriveled plant and hoped she hadn’t noticed it too!  If she did she probably thought that I didn’t appreciate her gift.  I did, but I didn’t take care of it.  (Stephanie, if you’re reading this, thank you and I’m sorry!)

That got me to thinking about my relationships with friends and family.  I have so many people in my life that give me so much (not just material things).  Do I take care of these gifts?  Do I take care of the relationships?  Do I make sure they get the attention they need to allow those relationships to vibrantly bloom or do I neglect them and let them shrivel away.  Many names quickly come to mind of relationships that I’ve neglected… now to start watering them.

By the way… after I started picking away the dead flowers and leaves on that flower, I noticed some buds offering hope that it will bloom again.