Monday, April 2, 2012

B is for Bloom

B is for BLOOM - One of the best pieces of wisdom that I ever received was "Bloom where you are planted."  It served me well through the years as I found myself in new places every few years (or even months).  My husband and I were "high school sweethearts" but didn't get married until we were 21 - that year was crazy!  He joined the Marine Corps and left for boot camp in February, he "graduated" on May 23 in South Carolina, we got married on May 25 in Florida, we whisked away for a weekend in Orlando, and about a week later he flew off to attend training in California leaving me behind to pack up our belongings and move to California a few weeks later.  I had absolutely no idea what was in store for us but hey, we were in this adventure together.  Come December of the same year, we were moving to Georgia where we would live for 9 months.

Long story short, we moved 12 more times before ending up in the home we are in now - a grand total of 14 different houses over the last 26 years - that is an average of 22 months per house but some houses were for just a few months at a time and we have actually lived in this one for six years.  Oh, and did I mention we have four children?  All of that moving and we never did figure out how to downsize, let's just say we managed to accumulate a lot of stuff over the years and moving lugging it all over creation was always challenging.  We are pretty good at packing and unpacking though and thank God my husband is a logistics guy!

Well, how does one Bloom when waking up in a new location on a regular basis?  Not to mention, that I found myself alone a LOT (including during several of those moves I mentioned).  How does one fluctuate between being part of a team and long stretches of being a single mom?  By taking the advice of "Bloom where you are planted" - that's how!  Although we found ourselves in a whirlwind of continuous changes, the one thing that remained the same was our faith and determination.  As long as we remained in our foundation, we could handle whatever life and the Marine Corps threw our way.  I even have the word BLOOM emblazoned across my wall to remind me!  (thus the photo above)


11 comments:

  1. "Bloom where you're planted"---that's so well said.

    Look forward to your challenge posts...

    --Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012

    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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  2. Lordamercy! I bet my little Grandmother said those words to me 49 brazillion times! Like you, the advice has served me well. This is a beautifully written piece. I was caught up in it instantly! Welcome to Blogging From A to Z, Pati!

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    1. Sounds like a smart granny! Thanks for the encouragement, Jim!

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  3. Thanks to your hubby for serving and thank you for being so supportive to him and blooming everywhere you landed. Great reminder to go with God through the changes of life!

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  4. A beautiful quote that is wise and powerful in its meaning.

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  5. Love the quote!

    Konstanz Silverbow
    nothoughts2small.blogspot.com
    thewriterace.blogspot.com
    A to Z c-host
    www.a-to-zchallenge.com

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  6. Lovely! I just notice that our blogs have same name...

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  7. Love the quote Pati. I have favouritised your blog - I too am interested in where it's going to go.

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  8. Great advice. I think it applies to everything in life, not just our homes. Nothing is perfect, if we make the best of things life is a happier place :)

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  9. Excellent advice; life is so much better when you make the best of where you are.

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