Don't Plant a Shrub if You Want a Tree

Between the 8 and 10:00 masses on Sunday, I sat outside in Our Blessed Mothers garden looking around, taking note of how everything was growing and enjoying the peacefulness around me. My thoughts turned to the shrub I planted several years ago. It has the most beautiful white, fragrant blooms in spring, however, I planted it with the intention of pruning it so it would substitute as a tree to provide shade on our deck. I did this because I was told at the nursery that I could prune it if I wanted a tree instead of a shrub. Yeah, well, live and learn. This shrub requires constant pruning that I just can't keep up with. Suckers continue to grow up from the bottom. Why would I try to turn it into something that it is not? Wouldn't it be easier to plant the shrub in a location where it would grow naturally without the pruning?

We often do this with our lives don't we? We try to force ourselves or others to be what we or they are not. Wouldn't life be so much easier if we could only accept others as they are? We all have different gifts. May we also be blest with the wisdom to see, accept and appreciate these gifts in others.

I Corinthians - Chapter 12 - Spiritual Gifts

God Bless!