Weeds...

First of all, please let me give this disclaimer:  I am NOT a gardener.

I may not be a gardener.  In fact, my whole gardening philosophy is basically to keep my yard looking "pretty" until the 4th of July. If it looks good after that, it's a complete bonus.  Gardening is hard work. There is the planting, the fertilizing, the weeding, the mulch, etc.  It's not my priority as it isn't my passion.  I appreciate all the work that goes into having a garden.  I have even tried to put effort into growing things in my yard (tomatoes, sun flowers, beans, etc).  It has all been fruitless.

Today has really hit me that relationships are a lot like gardening.  They take a lot of work.  Despite my best efforts, sometimes it has nothing to do with my efforts. Just like in gardening, the soil, weather, a husband who likes to mow over my new bushes, or other factors determines how "fruitful" my garden/yard can be.  Relationships can have weeds that grow up in the garden. Those barriers that keep you from having a close relationships.  Weeds can be many things in a relationship. They could be a disagreement, distance, or even busyness.  Weeds can be a past hurt that haven't been resolved.

How do you deal with these weeds? Some of us may just leave the weeds there and are able to pretend that they are flowers. Some of us just ignore the weeds (is it our own busyness?). Even if we pull them out, they may grow right back.  Weeds are certain to be in every garden. Therefore many of us may just focus on the rest of the garden.  We try to plant the right plants. Harvest at the right time. Prune and fertilize when we ought to... 

I guess I have some relationships that I want to see flourish. Not just for my sake, but for my family's sake. I desire closeness. But I can't make a rose bloom in December. It may just have to wait for it's season. Because gardens have their seasons and so do relationships.