Three years ago, I purchased and planted a pink peony. Well, it wasn’t a plant yet. Just the root.
But, I had faith that someday it would bloom. Provided it made it through the cold winters.

With lots of resilience, that little root established itself enough, to make it through the first winter. Luckily, the deer didn’t find it that spring growing next to the lilies. . Those get nipped off every spring. Meekly, it made an appearance, and grew a few stems and some leaves. It looked promising, so I kept my fingers crossed.

The second spring, it emerged a bit bigger. It had more leaves, and actually produced one meager little stem with a tiny blossom. “Maybe next year,” I said, with my fingers still crossed.

When this last winter ended, the deer left before its stems were visible, and lo and behold that little peony emerged twice as big as it was before. Suddenly, it sent up floral stems that produced several round buds! This last week, I excitedly watched, as those little pinkish green balls opened into its very first full fledged amazingly beautiful blossoms! Wow! Do they smell good!

Seeing them made me so happy. I finally have lovely pink peonies, just like the ones that grew at my childhood home, and the wait was so worth it. Three years, and a tiny little root with determined resilience just kept keeping on, until it finally produced a beautiful garden full of memories.

There’s a lesson in that. Keep keeping on, until you’ve bloomed into who you are truly meant to be.

Getting out the paints and brushes to capture something that special? It’s a given.

This painting is currently available unframed. Please feel free to inquire about framing options.