This past week my husband and I enjoyed a little vacation at the TN River, and the weather……..oh my goodness……. was perfect! A few weeks from now we are hosting a family event on our farm, and part of this “vaca” time was planned to mow the fields and do some much needed cleaning. In the area closest to the house, we had sown various wildflower seeds which had greatly multiplied and needed to be cut. My husband, knowing how much I adore flowers, decided to gather me a bouquet before cutting them all down. Having no water, he stuck them into an almost empty Gatorade bottle and placed it by the fence to bring home at lunch.
Well…….he didn’t make it home for lunch and about mid-afternoon I headed down to check on his progress. Of course, the first thing I noticed was a plastic bottle filled with very wilted flowers sitting beside the gate. Now, I often buy the “marked down” floral bunches at the grocery. Consequently, these wilted beauties and their rough appearance did not deter me. I knew how to fix this little problem, or so I thought.
Appreciating my husband’s sweet gesture, I swooped up the Gatorade vase of drooping buds and headed straight back home to address the issue. Removing the flowers I first cut off 3″-4″ from the end of each stem. Then, I immersed the whole bunch into a sink filled with warm water, fully expecting to find a revived bouquet in about an hour. Returning a bit later, I was rather shocked to discover that the flowers appeared as droopy and wilted as they had earlier. Obviously, this was calling for a more involved rescue. So I again removed each one and clipped into the stems about a 1/4″. Then I added more warm water “knowing” for sure they would respond as they usually do.
More time passed and with dinner hour approaching, I needed my kitchen sink. Casting an expectant glance into the water, I saw the still wilted and sad blooms. Reluctantly, I tossed the entire bouquet into the trash and proceeded with preparing our meal, eating, cleaning up, and watching a little TV. Several hours later, I opened the trash can lid. To my complete surprise the can was filled with beautiful, revived flowers, the same ones that I had earlier thrown away! Delighted, I quickly retrieved them and began clipping and arranging a bouquet which we enjoyed all week on the porch.
Just like the unexpected surprise of the flowers, the Lord I know delights in surprising with the unexpected. I wonder how many times I have missed the “treasure” He wanted to share because I was too impatient to wait for his timing, thought I already knew the answers, or tossed something aside because my focus was not right. It would be a blessing to hear how you too may have discovered a treasure from the trash.
