After I had quarantined for a couple of weeks, I began to walk the river trail here in my dearly-loved Fort Worth. It was perfect! April skies and cool temps. I would listen to James Taylor or my NPR daily news and count the turtles sunning on top of the rocks. Every day there were new wildflowers covered in bees and butterflies. The waterfall flowed like crazy after the spring rains. But then... June came. Surprise...It always does. Seriously – temps in the nineties and I got cranky! The waterfall was barely dripping and the turtles were nowhere to be found. I set my alarm for 5:30 to be able to stand the heat. Walking became a chore instead of a joy. Dry, brown grass instead of wildflowers was the biggest disappointment.
So today in the middle of July I trudged again. Waking up early to heave these New Balance shoes on, grabbing my water and Fitbit and heading out the door. It was just a chore – and I hate chores. Walking only for the exercise with absolutely no hope of beauty. Only dead, dry grass. Bikers and other sweating walkers passed me. We each garnered up a smile while secretly wishing we were sitting in an air-conditioned cafe sipping mimosas and having brunch. Remember cafés?
With my head down plodding along I almost missed them. These lovely purple flowers! When did they get here? What in the world grows in 105-degree weather with no rain?! These purple flowers did – and I almost missed them as I focused on how miserable I was.
Today I had a glimpse of hope. Knowing that in the midst of the dry grass of my daily life, the purple flowers will show up. Those of us who mentor others have the great opportunity to be givers of hope. Your life journey reminds your mentee that even in the midst of a pandemic where many of us are hurting financially and relationally the flowers by the river do return. Don’t waste your story about when the “purple flowers” showed up in your life.
“We know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5