Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17

The Backstory

Many of you are longtime friends and blog followers, familiar with some of what I’m about to write. Please bear with me as I set the stage for other readers needing these initial details to better understand this post.

I lost my 39-year-old husband to a heart attack in 1997. Ray had a degree in horticulture. The lovely garden he designed and tended on our small suburban property was part of the legacy he left for me and our two elementary-aged daughters. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I would need to learn how to care for the plants or risk losing a precious connection with him. Thus, the seeds were sown for my interest in horticulture, which would develop into a passionate pursuit, including a desire to return to school to study plants. 

In a beauty-from-ashes scenario, I realized my dream when I enrolled in the horticulture program at a local technical school two days after my 30-year career with a large corporation ended when they eliminated my job.

Study Buddy

Six months after I lost my job, I became Grammie when my first grandchild, a beautiful baby boy, was born. Joshua was my study buddy from his earliest days. I’d point out different plants as we strolled the neighborhood, repeating their names to my little passenger. I wasn’t sure how much he was absorbing, but the repetition was a great way for me to study.

As Joshua grew, our plant discussions expanded. He has a keen eye for detail and an impressive capacity to retain information. I eventually told Joshua about his Grandpa Kuipers and how his love of plants inspired my passion for horticulture.

A Passion of His Own

Little boys have lots of interests, and Joshua is no different. Only time would tell if he’d tire of Grammie’s plant discussions and tagging along on her horticulture excursions or if the seeds planted on those early stroller walks would bear lasting fruit.

Last spring, I asked if he would like to go to The Pocket with me. I couched my query amidst some disclaimers. It would require a 75-mile drive to reach our destination, a small but flower-filled area. Though small, it would take me about two hours to complete my leisurely stroll and admire the numerous specimens. Despite my stipulations, Joshua quickly accepted my invitation.

Some folks might be able to traverse the wooden boardwalk in less than an hour, satisfied that they’d seen enough. Others, like me, want to take it all in – hike up to the waterfall, as well as make the loop around the boardwalk. Joshua proved to be one of the latter. Any doubts I had about the genuineness of his enthusiasm disappeared before we left the gravel entry road and made it back to the paved highway when he exclaimed, “I love this place, Grammie! Can we come back next year?”

Not only did we go back this year, but we made two trips to my, now our, beloved wildflower mecca. And Joshua is becoming quite the botanist, collecting plants, growing oaks from acorns, and learning about the art of bonsai from reading one of his Grandpa Kuipers’ books.

From Study Buddy to Plant Protege

Last week, we went to Opryland as part of Lyla’s 10^th birthday celebration. I’d only been once before, and that visit was years ago, so I’d forgotten about the extensive indoor gardens. Although we had several activities planned during our brief stay, Joshua requested a “plant walk with Grammie” soon after we arrived.

As we took that walk the next day, I was again overwhelmed by the blessing of Joshua and our shared love of plants. It’s not hard for me to imagine Ray smiling as Joshua and I crouch together, examining a plant and extolling the One who created such a vast array of beautiful specimens for us to study and enjoy.

More Than We Can Imagine

Sometimes, we don’t get what we want, or it doesn’t come in an appealing container, beautifully wrapped. However, God often gives us good gifts in unexpected packages. Isn’t that the way it was with His very best gift?

A baby in a manger wasn’t the gift God’s people were expecting or longing for. They wanted a powerful ruler who would free them from oppression by overturning the Roman government. Instead, God gave them what they truly needed: a Savior who would free them from a master much more sinister than the Roman rulers. They were slaves to sin, dead in their trespasses, unable to free themselves. So were we (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Because of that gift, planned before time began, we know God will never withhold any lesser thing from us and that He is able to work all things together for good, even the darkest things, even if it doesn’t appear good in the moment (Romans 8:28, 32).

The abrupt end to my 30-year career certainly didn’t look like a gift the afternoon I handed in my computer, building pass, and credit card and exited into the gray January day, befitting the occasion, but what a gift it was!

And the sweet baby boy born a few months later who’s grown into a handsome young man whose plant knowledge is quickly catching up to mine? A gift beyond what I could have asked or imagined (Ephesians 3:20).

I treasure memories of my godly, plant-loving husband. I cherish the gift of loved ones in my life now, and I look forward to the day when the family circle will be unbroken through all of eternity because of God’s unimaginably perfect gift. Joshua and I will be able to stroll the heavenly gardens with Ray, exulting over the beauty of the new earth, no longer marred by sin (Revelation 21:1-4; 22:3).

In the meantime, I pray we’ll be expectantly vigilant as we enter the new year, assured that God’s good gifts are all around us if we only have enlightened eyes and hearts to see them (Ephesians 1:17-18).