Flowers in my garden

YOUR mind is like a garden and your thoughts are the seeds, you can grow weeds or you can grow flowers.” — Anonymous

After seeing this quotation this week from an FB posting, I commented that …’basta ako flowers ang itatanim ko”.

When the pandemic started last year and there were orders from the government to stay at home, I immediately decided to plant in my tiny garden.

At first I tried to plant vegetables and my interest faded when insects like aphids attacked my plants.

One day my husband showed me a video clip of a garden full of different flowers of Euphorbia Milii then  my planting interest revived again.

At present I am growing more than forty varieties of this plant. I don’t know why, but there is something that makes me happy and energized  when I stare and take care of these flowering plants.

For almost one and half years now, we have been encountering challenging situations around us. We are fighting different crises brought by this pandemic.

Some are dealing with meager funds due to lack of working opportunities. Others are still adjusting on how to juggle helping their kids in online learning while keeping their online work.

And many are suffering from the trauma of having sick or dead loved ones due to Covid. I must admit that we are entering a period of life where people all over the world experience pain and sufferings. 

Protecting our sanity in these many crazy situations is one important step to fight the ongoing Covid battle.The last thing we  want to happen is that we succumb to fear, to lose hope and to give up.

Our mind and its capacity to process things are God’s design to humanity. The mind can absorb information, process it and analyze things. We are benefiting from people who are continuously studying how to fight the virus.

Strategizing and planning on how people can be more protected by the adverse effects of Covid 19 are also products of the human mind. These are the medical and political ways of fighting the pandemic.

Practicing health protocols and protecting ourselves by being vaccinated are not the only things an individual can act on. Minding what we often entertain in our minds can make a big difference in our fight against the virus.

When we feed on the weeds of fear daily, we may develop anxiety. When we stick on with anger and resentment we can end up harvesting stress and heart problems. Giving-in to prolonged sadness due to isolation can make one feel depressed.

We are still alive and we can still make wise choices in life.

Here are good options that can make us plant flowers in our minds:

*Put your faith in God’s sovereign power

*Forgive people who have wronged you

*Be interested in activities that make you happy and busy while staying at home

*Count simple and big blessings around you

*Try extending help to others who need it

*Read good books that inspire you specially the Bible

*Plant real flowers. 

“In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: Things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” The Good News, Philippians 4:8 

I hope you can find flowers in your garden.