Pots?

Yes.  Pots.

Just go with it for a minute.

This past week has brought some challenges for me with scheduling some extra curricular activities for my kids. No matter if you have one child or six, it is a challenge to find a niche for each kid. Something they want to do, that they love and will look forward to. Matching them with an environment they will thrive in has been a challenge for me. We’ve tried every activity under the sun. If it is offered in our area, we’ve probably tried it.

Some of my kids have found what they love to do quickly, others are still searching.

And although it can be a bit aggravating, to invest time and money in an activity that is ultimately not going to end up being their thing, it is necessary.

So right now, I am wrestling with a few decisions regarding how each child is going to use their time for an extra curricular activity. I may end up having one or two children unhappy with me when it’s all said and done.

But as the adult and also chief chauffeur, dinner maker and homework supervisor, I may have to put the wants of one aside for the needs of many. It is something I have guilt about and a decision I’ve not made lightly. But it’s life. Each of my children has their own special talents and interests. They are all different. One excels at something that another might not be so good at. Their talents are different and their interests varied, but none is more important than another.

Which bring me back to the pots.

Kind of.

Can you see it?

The flowers growing in the pot on the left are smaller than the pot on the right.  I know!  Poor thing.  But they really are smaller.

And no, it doesn’t matter. Truthfully, nobody except me has probably even noticed. 

Here’s the pot on the right, it is big and full and thriving.

It reflects my careful watering and fertilization, it is a plant that has been deadheaded and cared for by me. With my own two hands.

It’s beautiful.

Here’s the pot on the left. It is not as big, but just as beautiful.

It has been the recipient of the same amount of watering and fertilization, it has been just as lovingly deadheaded and cared for with my own two hands.

And yet, despite the exact same amount of care, the same amount of love and attention, the plants in the pots have grown differently. Each at their own pace.

Kind of like my kids.

Each of them has been raised and cared for the exact same way. They have each been nurtured and loved equally and watered and fertilized just the same.

Yet they are all so very, very different.  Some grow faster than others, they each have periods of time where they seem to thrive more than the others and they each have had their turn at lagging behind.

But they are all the same in that they are each looking for their own niche in this world, waiting to find their hidden talent.

They are unique, each beautiful in their own way.

Just like my pots.