The other day I noticed that a plant in my cactus garden began to grow something that looked like horns and then like green candy canes!  At first I thought I should pluck them out because they were weird looking.  I asked a friend what she thought I should do.  She said that maybe that was my plant’s way of flowering. Within a week I found out that she was right! Tiny pink flowers came from what I first thought was ugly. I find analogies all over in nature and this one was another reminder that when we think something is bad sometimes it turns to be good. 

When I was in my mid-twenties I was pregnant. I had fallen into a deep depression that left me dysfunctional for nearly 3 months. My mother in law had to come in to take care of our two daughters while I lay in bed and cried and wished I could die. During that time, however, my husband and I went to counseling and I attended a life-changing class where I learned about the 3 stages of loss. Following my recovery I began speaking and eventually wrote 2 books to help others find their way out of the darkness and into the light. 

One of the tiny pink flowers that came from my dark experience was in the form of a note. My speaking partner, Kerri, and I received the note from a person who attended one of our presentations. It read, “I wish I could tell you all what you did for me today. I have been struggling with depression and anxiety…this was exactly what I needed to hear. I have a really strong feeling this was the answer I’ve been looking.” 

And so it is in each of our lives. When we see something as ugly and want to toss it away, we are often wiser if we will wait and watch for the beauty yet to come. 

Read the rest of Patricia’s posts for IBPF here.