Hi Lia,  It is a pleasure to meet you. 

Yes, I love that poem also. I had it sent to me a few months ago and I saved it to read when I am feeling really down and hopeless. The flower is a Hibiscus blossom that I have. I am proud of it. I bought it last summer and was just beautiful.  I brought it inside to my basement to protect it from the cold winter. The poor thing looked like it was dead. I often thought I should just throw it away, but I kept remembering the beautiful blossoms from the Summer.  It lost all its leaves and was just bleak brown twigs. I kept watering it throughout the winter. Then I noticed close to Spring that it had a tiny leaf trying to emerge and grow. I kept watering it and put it back outside on my porch for the summer. My neighbors must have thought I was nuts. It looked like a dead plant. I still kept watering it and giving it plant food occasionally. Slowly through the summer it kept growing leafs until finally it again looked like a living plant. Just these last weeks, at the end of summer I noticed it had buds. It has bloomed, it made it at last! They are such a gorgeous color and I have enjoyed the beauty of each blossom that finally opened and showed its true self.  Unfortunately autumn is back and the days are getting colder. I brought it back inside to protect it from the cold and enjoyed the final blossoms. It is slowly starting to drop leaves again. I don't know if it will go through that same process again or not, but I will keep watering it and caring for it, in hopes to see it bloom again next year.

It kind of made me stop and think. How much I resemble that plant. I often feel dead inside and think it is useless to keep trying, but I do. I feed myself and go through the daily motions of life. There are short periods where I begin to feel the possibilities of something better. A renewal and new direction in my life. I will keep on caring for myself and patiently wait for my time to bloom!

I hope some more of you speak up and introduce yourself and share.  I'd love to find some friends and encouragement to help each other bloom.  Take Care.

Sharon