Stories & Articles

Hi Reader,

A few weeks ago, our daughter and son-in-law visited us, and while they were here, they helped us rejuvenate a flower bed in front of our house. As part of the process Janet and our daughter went shopping for plants at Home Depot.

I had been gone elsewhere, and when I returned home I saw three hanging baskets of plants sitting near our front door that looked absolutely horrible.

“Where are we going to hang these? We have no place for them,” I said to Janet.

“Ask your daughter, “ she replied.

“I hope you saved the receipt so we can take these back. They look terrible.”

“Just ask your daughter, “ Janet once again responded.

Soon our daughter Jennifer stepped outside and explained why three plants in need of hospice care were sitting on our front stoop.

Where plants go to die

“We saw a healthy version of these Creeping Jenny plants hanging from a rack, but I thought they were way too expensive. But then I noticed these three hanging baskets of the same plant thrown on top of a cart in a pile of dead plants, clearly destined to be thrown away into a dumpster.

“They were so dried out, with brittle leaves that were actually crunchy. It was obvious they had not been watered or cared for. They looked like skeletons of the healthy plants we first saw on the rack.

“So I talked to one of the sales clerks and asked if we could take these dumpster plants off his hands for no charge, as it was obvious they were going to be thrown away. It seemed to me that the store was understaffed and no one had time to water these plants. The guy I talked to said he’d have to call and check with someone about giving away these almost-dead plants on their way to the dumpster. So we waited and waited, but no one ever got back to him.

The best deal around

“Finally, he said, ‘No one is answering my call, so go ahead and take them. They’re yours.’

“So Dad, it didn’t cost you anything, and let’s see if we can bring them back to life. We’ll keep them here in the shade, and I’ll soak them with water, and let’s see what happens. If they come back to life, we won’t hang them in baskets, but instead let's plant them directly into the ground. These Creeping Jennys will spread and create a good ground cover.”

One coincidence to this story is that as a young child we always called our daughter Jenny. But then one day when she was in grade school she announced to us that she was no longer Jenny, but was now Jennifer. So here, many decades later, we have a formerly known as Jenny trying to restore three Creeping Jenny plants.

But I digress, so let’s get back to the plants and the attempts to resuscitate them. Within a few hours of being watered, the leaves started to show signs of life. They no longer looked brittle, and their color began to return.

The greatest enemy of plants and relationships

By the next afternoon, they looked completely healthy. What an amazing transformation to watch. The photo you see that I posted is two of the three rejuvenated plants.

What it took to restore these plants back to the life they were intended to live is similar to what it takes to restore interpersonal relationships to what they were made for.

For example, as with the plants, it starts with someone seeing the relationship in distress and recognizing the potential for restoration. For someone to see that while things look bleak, it didn’t have to die. It takes someone to refuse to give up on the relationship. It takes someone to take the relationship off the cart headed to the dumpster and begin to nurture what had been ignored. As with plants, the greatest enemy of relationships is neglect.

Little things matter

Another similarity between these plants and struggling relationships is that often it doesn’t take much to bring things back to life.

With people, it could mean time spent together. Maybe even an apology. Or a recognition that I overreacted. Maybe cutting a friend or relative some slack, and extending grace without ever mentioning how you were hurt by what they said. Simple things. Understated things.

Plants can’t take care of themselves. They need help from an external source. The same is true with relationships at times. Someone to help people see what they cannot see on their own.

I hope you don’t have any relationships on the way to the dumpster. But if you do, don’t give up too soon. It may just take some simple things to bring them back to life. A little figurative water and some time may restore things quicker than you think.

So that’s what I have for you today. If you happened to miss last week’s podcast episode, no. 223 Christmas in July, you can listen to it when you click here.​

Until next time, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.*

John Certalic

* The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene 2