~Don't we all?~

It will soon be time to convince zinnias to grow from seed here at our home along the Western Slopes of the Rocky Mountains.  The plan to do so occupies the #10 spot on my list of 60 things to do before I turn 60 this year.  The last two gardening seasons of trying to get those beautiful flowers going from seed have been most disappointing.  The clay-filled soil around our house  just seemed to swallow them up and the one or two defiant seeds that did decide to sprout never lasted long.  It was just all that they could do to make it to the top of the soil and when they did, well it was over.  They had used up all of their strength in such a short amount of time.  Their blooms would never been seen.  It was sad and most defeating.   

Back in Kansas it was always fun to grow them along the east side of my house back in Hutchinson.  Each year during the cold months of winter, I would order a bunch of seeds of differing varieties; ones of various sizes, types and colors.  I would plant the seeds inside of an old metal ring that came off of a piece of farm machinery.  It was just the right size to get them started in.  Once they sprouted I removed the ring and let them grow.  Zinnias are a hearty flower and ones that withstand just about anything that summertime weather in Kansas can hand to them.  I even had them in my backyard in pots and little corners of the garden where they could show off their colors throughout June, July and August.  I learned to appreciate that beautiful flower from two master gardeners that I knew back there.  My mom and grandmother both had the greenest of thumbs and I'm thankful that even though I didn't pick up their culinary talents that at the very least I received their "gifts" in the area of floriculture.  

Growing things has always been a part of my life and the things that I have nurtured have not always been of the "plant" kind.  As a teacher, now for nearly 4 decades of my life, I've been in the business of "growing children" for quite some time.  It's a pretty big responsibility, this growing of children idea and one that I have never taken lightly and certainly not for granted.  I've seen so many children coming in and out of my classrooms over the years that I long ago lost count of how many I've taught.  Hundreds upon hundreds, that's for sure.  Yet even though I have lost track of a few of those classes, one thing remains certain in my mind.

"Not all children "bloom" at the same time.  Each one has their own growing season.  The sooner you realize that very fact, the better off you will be."

We had a class meeting yesterday morning at school, "the 21" and I.  It was time for one and in fact, it was way "over" time.  Sometimes life gets stressful, even for little people.  I could tell by the way that all of us were fussing with one another last week that we needed to slow down and brings things to a momentary stop before even thinking about the week ahead.  So there around "the campfire" we listened to one another tell about what had been bothering us and how we could make things "right" once more as we started a brand new week at school.  I'm so glad that we did and the 25 minutes that it took before we did anything else yesterday helped us to have a more productive rest of the day.  Slowing down and taking the time to listen to one another was the only way to do so.

#21 on that list of 60 things asks me to make a difference in the life of a child somewhere.  #54 reminds me to continue teaching and make a difference wherever I might be needed.  Perhaps I am accomplishing those two "wishes" every single day that I go to school.  One thing I have learned, not only here in Colorado, but for many years back in Kansas as well is that the differences we make are sometimes very subtle ones.  In fact, they are many times not even obvious until some time later on.

Yesterday one of my former students that I taught in the 4th grade came up to me in the hallway after school.  We got to talking about how the day had gone and how she was doing in school this year.  I told her how much I missed not being their teacher but I was always glad to see them all in the hallways.  She told me that yesterday at school they were talking about me and when I asked her what they were saying, her response made me stop and think.

"Well we were talking about how you a lot of times had snacks for us, especially in the afternoon when we were really hungry and how it helped us to do better in our work.  All of us kids were really glad to have something to eat.  How did you know that we were hungry Mrs. Renfro?"

I smiled at the remembrance of it all.  She was right.  I did bring them lots of snacks.  It was the way that they met "Mr. Renfro" for the first time.  He was the "bearer" of so many of them.  It was Mike's "breaking in" moment of being the spouse of a teacher and that guy loved every minute of it.  Mike Renfro is just that way.

Even though I've been growing plants and children as well for such a long time, I've got a lot to learn about taking care of them before my stay on this planet is through.  Both need a lot of help along the way, occasionally some pruning, and additional stability to help them grow straight and tall.  Provisions of food and water are a must.  And oh yes, one another thing.

They all need a lot of love.  
Don't we all?

My very first attempt at growing succulents was last spring when Mike's dear step-mother, Margaret Renfro, showed me how.  I'd never tried it before but have had a whole lot of fun with them since then.  Maggie passed away on New Year's Day this year but the lessons that she taught me about growing things will stay with me forever.  

For all of the people who have helped me to grow straight and reasonably tall, I am much beholden.