While roaming the aisles of Target one afternoon, I stumbled across a message directly written just for me. On a home décor clearance shelf, there it was – Bloom Where You Are Planted. I found myself staring at this cute, wooden wall hanging reflecting on how this simple phrase carried a weighty message.
You see, I never wanted to plant in Albuquerque.
I had lived in Iowa my whole life, driven through Albuquerque only once on the way to California some fifteen years ago, and had even declared that, “I will never live in THAT city!” But in the following decade plus, events and choices aligned themselves just right to lead my family straight here. Call it fate, the stars, karma or what my family believes – God’s perfect plan. Call it whatever – here we are.
Blooming where you are planted isn’t always easy. Sometimes it is downright hard.
We moved over a thousand miles leaving behind our entire family and all our friends with a six month old in tow. When we arrived, we didn’t even have a place to live. We had no idea what green chile was or just how amazing high desert weather really is. We didn’t know the beauty of an Albuquerque sunset or that “purple mountain majesties” were a reality. Instead of wilting in the desert sun, we decided to bloom.
We found a great home to rent, searched for a faith community, explored every nook and cranny of the city, took day trips and all of a sudden became hikers. I broke out of my comfort zone and made friends as fast as I could. I joined the Albuquerque Moms Blog contributor team. We bloomed.
And any desert dweller can tell you, desert blooms are among the most beautiful.
And now, in five short months, my family will be moving on once again. We have no clue where we are going or what 2017 will hold. However, we are fairly certain it will hold good-byes to a city and state we fell in love with.
Anxiety set in recently over our year of transition. What if I hate my new city or the weather is awful? What if it’s ugly and has terrible food and no green chile?! I got a pep talk from my best friend over at Anaheim Moms Blog (she’s my best cheer leader). She reminded me – wherever you go, whatever you do, you have to choose to be intentional. Bloom where you are planted.
It doesn’t matter if the soil is fertile and ripe for planting or if it’s dry, rocky and shows no sign that it can produce a bloom. Above my desk hangs a calendar painted by my favorite Albuquerque artist, Ruth Chou Simons at Gracelaced. It says, “… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). I’m reminded I can always bloom where I am planted, even in the unlikely desert.
