Daylilies in October

Just last week I had a little daylily pop up & bloom in my backyard.  It really surprised me since all of the others had quit blooming way back in the summer.  I'm not sure I've ever had one bloom this late before - I certainly don't remember one.  The first thought I had was to go ask my Granny if it was common for one to bloom this late.  Then I remembered - I couldn't go ask her.  Granny passed away in March. 

If you knew her, you knew how she loved her plants and flowers.  With no formal education in landscaping or horticulture, she knew the common and Latin names of hundreds of species, knew how much sun, shade, water and Miracle Grow each one needed.  She knew it all.  Her yards were always immaculate and if she wasn't able to be out working in them, she wasn't happy.  She was definitely in her element when in her greenhouse & in her flower beds.  It was a passion, a love, a need that ran deep within her veins. 

As I thought about that daylily and my Granny's life, I realized that she had found a way to do what she loved the most and to let God be known at the same time.  She was always expressing God's love by sharing and giving and doing for those around her.  I can remember being at her house as a small child when a friend or neighbor would stop by and I remember they never left without Granny having given them something.  Usually it was a flower or a plant.  Sometimes it was a jar of her famous crabapple jelly, or a beautiful treasure she had hand crocheted, or vegetables she and my grandfather had picked from the garden.  Regardless of the gift, she was always giving.  And we all reaped the benefits. 

Thanks to her, I had a new Easter dress each and every year - straight from her sewing room.  Thanks to her, I have a love of crabapple jelly today to which nothing can compare.  Thanks to her, I have beautiful hand made ornaments on my Christmas tree every year.  And thanks to her, I have a beautiful daylily bed along the back fence in my yard. 

After I remembered I couldn't go ask Granny if its common for a daylily to bloom in October, I realized the answer didn't really matter.  It was the lesson that mattered.  Through the daylily, God reminded me of my Granny, and reminded me of how she used her passions - sewing, making jelly, working in her greenhouse & flowerbeds - to share with others; a true expression of His love.  Lesson learned.  Granny was living in her Sweet Spot, and I can too!! 

Thanks Granny for reminding me how beautiful it is to share with others the talents with which God has blessed you.  And thanks for showing me how beautiful life can be when you're living it in your Sweet Spot.


Question of the day:  What lesson(s) have you learned from loved ones who are no longer with you?