being corny and reflective

In our yard we have a huge Flowering Dogwood. It happens to be Nate and Shea's favorite tree in our yard. And when spring came around here a month or so ago we were looking forward to it flowering into huge white blossoms. After all, we had seen all the other Dogwoods in the area already blooming, either pink or white or purple. But for some reason our tree would simply not bloom. It just sat there barren and sad and empty, as if it hadn't a clue that spring was here and it should get on with its business of providing us beauty. Shea kept asking me when it would flower and I kept saying "soon" and then he started asking me why it wasn't flowering and I kept saying "I don't know". Every day I'd pass it to and from my mailbox and tell it to hurry it up and do it's thing so I could stop looking like a fool in front of my 7 year old. After 6 relentless weeks of him pestering me about this stinkin' Dogwood tree I gave up on trying to beg it to flower. I ignored it, threw it angry glances and refused to speak its name in my house.

Three days later it went from brown to solid white overnight. "Look, mom, isn't it a miracle?!! It's so beautiful, I LOVE our Flowering Dogwood tree!!" Shea said.

That tree is kind of like our situation right now. Our life feels stuck, we can't get going down the road to our purpose. We feel lost and alone in a world of others who are flowering and moving on with their life. Yet we remain in the same depressing state for weeks on end. We're getting angry and tired and want to ignore the problem altogether.

But there is still a teeny tiny part of me that thinks SOMEDAY we will see a miracle. And it will be wonderful and everything we hoped for and more. And I for one am so looking forward to that day where we can prove to ourselves that hoping and praying and waiting was the right thing to do.

After all, if a darn Flowering Dogwood can do it why can't I?